Hawarden

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Sealand

"In 1740, the uninclosed lands on the North side of the River, denominated Sealand, amounted to 4,818 acres."
[From A Memoir of Hawarden Parish, Richard Willett, 1822]

During the eighteenth century, in an attempt to assist navigation to Chester, the River Dee to the west of Chester was diverted into a man-made channel, some distance south of its former course. The Flintshire/Cheshire border still follows the former line of the river. An extensive area of marshland, within the parish of Hawarden, but to the north of the new channel, was reclaimed as a result of this diversion. This reclaimed area became known as Sealand.

Church History Church Records Civil Registration

Population Statistics

Church History

The district church of St. Bartholomew, at Sealand, in the parish of Hawarden, was consecrated on the 15th of October 1867.

"The church is designed in the Early Gothic style. It is constructed of stone from the Helsby quarries, the interior being finished with ashlar. The plan consists of a nave, 62 feet by 26 feet; chancel, 24 feet by 17 feet; a small transept on the north side is to contain the organ, and the vestry is under the tower on the south side of the chancel. The tower is 65 feet high, surmounted by a metal cross, but at present only contains one bell. The whole of the roof timbers and doors are of oak ....."
[From The Chester Chronicle of 21 October 1867.]

St. Bartholomew's is a constituent church of the modern Rectorial Benefice of Hawarden - it is not a separate parish.

Nonconformist Churches

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Church Records

Parish Registers

• The following Parish Registers have been deposited at Flintshire Record Office, Hawarden. They may be viewed on microfilm at the Flintshire Record Office, the Denbighshire Record Office, Ruthin, and the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth. These microfilms are not available elsewhere.

Place of Worship	Baptisms	Marriages
St. Bartholomew's	1867 - 1948	1868 - 1989
Royal Air Force, Sealand Church in Wales	1959 - 1977	-

Bishop's Transcripts

• Bishop's Transcripts for the years shown below have been deposited at the Flintshire Record Office, Hawarden.

Deposited at the Flintshire Record Office, Hawarden.	Microfilmed copies
1872	None

I.G.I.

• There are no official I.G.I. entries for St. Bartholomew's.

Researchers should note that as the ecclesiastical district of Sealand does not have specifically defined boundaries within the parish of Hawarden, its parishioners have always had the option to be baptised or married in any church of the parish of Hawarden, subject to the consent of the incumbent. As St. Bartholomew's does not have a churchyard, burials have usually taken place at Hawarden. A thorough search of the registers, especially those of the parish church in Hawarden, is therefore advisable!

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Nonconformist Records

• The following nonconformist registers for the Sealand area are held at the Flintshire Record Office, Hawarden.
  They have not been filmed; and they have not been incorporated into the I.G.I. :

Name of Chapel	Denomination	Type of Record	Years Covered
Garden City	Congregational	Baptisms	1912 - 1920 1950 - 1986
Garden City	Congregational	Marriages	1972 - 1986
Garden City	Congregational	Burials	1950 - 1986

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Civil Registration

Population

Statistics

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