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Himley

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"Himley is a pleasant village and parish, delightfully situated on the Stourbridge road, five miles S by W of Wolverhampton. It has 409 inhabitants, and 1200 acres of land, and its grand object of attraction is Himley Hall and Park, the splendid seat of the Right Hon William Ward, Baron Ward. The hall is a noble structure, situated in the midst of the rich and extensive park, which abounds with deer, and has a magnificent sheet of water. This seat was greatly improved by the father of the late Earl Dudley, in whose lifetime it was frequently the scene of rejoicing and festivity upon public occasions. The kings escape from assassination, in 1786, and several of our naval victories, were celebrated here by illuminations and fireworks. He was the third Viscount Dudley and Ward, and died in 1823, when he was succeeded by his son, John William Ward, who, in 1827, was created Earl of Dudley, but dying without issue in 1833, that title became extinct, and that of Baron Ward descended to the father of the present Lord Ward, who died in 1835. His lordship was born in 1817, and his brother, the Hon Humble Dudley Ward, was born in 1821 and is heir presumptive. Lord Ward owns most of the land in this parish, and is lord of the manors of Himley, Kingswinford, Rowley Regis, etc. The beautiful and extensive wood called Baggeridge, adjoins the park, and is well stocked with pheasant. "
[From History, Gazetteer and Directory of Staffordshire, William White, Sheffield, 1851]

 

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Census

The population of Himley parish was as follows:
1801 -- 267
1811 -- 341
1821 -- 379
1831 -- 421
1841 -- 409

A surname index of the 1851 census of Himley parish is included in the Staffordshire 1851 Census Surname index, Volume 13, Wolverhampton, published by the Birmingham & Midland SGH.

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Churches

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Church History

"Himley Church, dedicated to St Michael, stands near the Hall, and is a neat brick fabric, erected in 1764, by the first Lord Dudley and Ward. The living is a rectory is in the patronage of Lord Ward, and incumbency of the Rev Edward Davies, MA."

[From History, Gazetteer and Directory of Staffordshire, William White, Sheffield, 1851)

Postcard of St Michael's Church c1903.

 

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Church Records

Church of England Registers
The register of St Michael commences in 1665. The original registers for the period 1668-1882 (Bapts), 1670-1838 (Mar) & 1668-1812 (Bur) are deposited at Staffordshire Record Office.
Bishops Transcripts for the period 1664-1885 (with many gaps) are deposited at Lichfield Record Office.
A transcript of the register for the period 1665-1812 was published by the Staffordshire Parish Register Society in 1969 and has been reprinted by the Birmingham & Midland SGH.
A transcript of the register for the period 1813-1837 has been published by the Birmingham & Midland SGH (in a compilation including Armitage, Blymhill, Weston and Coppenhall).

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Description & Travel

A transcription of the section on Himley from A Topographical History of Staffordshire by William Pitt (1817)

You can see pictures of Himley which are provided by:

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Gazetteers

The transcription of the section for Himley from the Topographical Dictionary of England (1859)

The transcription of the section for Himley from the National Gazetteer (1868) provided by Colin Hinson.

The transcription of the section for Himley from the Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870-72)

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SO877911 (Lat/Lon: 52.517641, -2.182691), Himley which are provided by:

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Military Records

A transcription of the Muster Roll of 1539 for Himley

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Poor Houses, Poor Law

Himley parish became part of Seisdon Union following the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834. Seisdon Union workhouse was situated in Tettenhall.