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SOUTHAMPTON

Description in 1868:
"SOUTHAMPTON, comprises the parishes of St. Mary, St. Laurence, All Saints, Holy Rood, St. John, St. Michael, and St. Mary Extra; it is a seaport, market town, municipal and parliamentary borough, and a county of itself, locally in the hundred of Mainsbridge, county Hants, 14 miles S.S.W. of Winchester, 17 N.E. of Lymington, and 11 N.W. of Portsmouth. It is situated on a peninsula at the head of Southampton Water, between the river Test, or Anton, on the W., and the Alre, or Itchen, on the E. It is a constantly and rapidly-increasing place, the population having risen from 7,913 in 1801 to 35,305 in 1851, and 46,960 in 1861, occupying 7,712 houses. About a mile to the S.W. of the present town stood the Roman Clausentum, the site of which is now occupied by Bittern Farm, and is still indicated by a fosse and vallum on the land side." [Description(s) from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868) - Transcribed by Colin Hinson ©2003]

Archives and Libraries

Southampton Library Special Collections has fascinating material on the city, the people and the port of Southampton. The information includes everything from censuses, street directories and Hampshire and Southampton newspapers, the earliest dating back to 1772.

Hartley Library, Southampton University – The Cope Collection covers all of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. No aspect of local life is excluded, the collection contains material on religion, local government, education, commerce and industry, transport etc. It also holds copies of some Hampshire and Southampton newspapers.


Southampton Archives has church records, public records and private collections

Southampton Archives together with Southampton Library Special Collections.

Bibliography

Southampton Record Series - A joint enterprise of the City and University of Southampton. A fascinating series of volumes concerning Southampton’s history. They include “A Calendar of Southampton Apprenticeship Registers 1609-1750” and “Southampton Sources: 1086-1900”.

Sources for Family History in Southampton City Records Office. Publisher: Southampton City Council, City Records Office ISBN: 085433047X.


The Illustrated History of Southampton's Suburbs.By Jim Brown. Published by Breedon Books. The first single-volume survey of the history of the residential areas of the city. ISBN 1-85983 405-1


Titanic Voices. Memories from the Fateful Voyage, 1997, by Donald Hyslop, Alastair Forsyth and Sheila Jemima. Available from Sutton Publishing Ltd. ISBN no: 0-312-17428-4.

Church Records

Southampton Archives – They hold Church of England parish records for Southampton, including original registers of baptisms, marriages and burials. All the pre 1837 registers have been transcribed and indexed.

Non-Conformist Registers:Full list of registers held for Southampton and area at Southampton City Archives and Records of the Noncomfortmists

Cemeteries

Southampton Old Cemetery, Hill Lane - The last resting place of General Gordon of Khartoum and some of the Titanic victims. This large cemetery was opened in 1846 on the edge of Southampton Common. In 1854 a small closed off area was designated for Jewish Graves.

Gazetteers

Medical Records

Records of Southampton Eye Hospital are included in Southampton Archives Privately Deposited Records. The records cover the period 1889 – 1951. They include matrons reports, financial and patients records. They are  available to the public. Archives ref: D/EH 1/3/2.

Merchant Marine

Southampton Library Maritime Collection says "The strength of the collection lies in its assemblage of maritime registers, which enable the history of individual ships to be traced. These include almost complete runs of Lloyds Register and the Mercantile Navy Lists and a collection of Board of Trade Enquiries into Wrecks."

Southampton Archives Records of Merchant Seamen include Crew lists. In 1966 the Public Record Office, after retaining a 10% sample and the lists of some famous ships, distributed the 1863-1913 crew lists to other repositories. Southampton Archives took the crew lists of ships registered or built in Southampton as well as those of vessels that mainly used this port. These are held at Southampton Archives. A remote search service is available for a fee. Also there is The Central Index Register of Merchant Seamen, 1913-1941.

Merchant seamen’s pouches for the period 1913 – 1940 are held at Southampton Archives. How ever many for 1914-1918 are missing. They often include photographs. Photocopies and colour copies can be obtained. The staff are extremely helpful and know the records well. For background information on this type of record see Len Barnett's guide to British Mercantile Records of the 19th & 20th Centuries. On his page about Central Register of Seamen 1941-1972  he says "Much less is known about the Seamen’s Pouches. On discharge various documents apparently were put in these that could include their British Seaman’s Identity Cards, applications for new identity cards and the cards from the earlier C.I.R. Unfortunately large quantities of the earlier pouches have been destroyed: apparently approximately 90,000 of them."

Southampton Maritime Museum - Exhibitions tell the story of the port and the great liners that sailed from Southampton. It is at Wool House, Town Quay Road, Southampton SO14 2AR. Telephone: 023 8063 5904

Titanic – Details of Titanic’s departure from Southampton. The site also contains lists of crew and passengers.

Military History

Southampton in WW2 by WW2 Peoples War Team. Lists air raids on Southampton and WW2 Monuments in Southampton.

Names, Personal

City of Southampton list of mayors 1217 to date  is on their website.

Societies

Local History Forum Covers all aspects of the city and its surroundings.

Family History Club Southampton - informal gathering of those interested in genealogy and family history.


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