How Does One Know? (General)

by shepway , Sunday, June 22, 2014, 08:26 (3808 days ago) @ bernardh

Some records suggest that Blakeney chapel/church building did not exist in 1777. The Archives Handlist tells us to "see Awre for records before 1813" and GENUKI states Blakeney "Ecclesiastical parish formed from Awre, 1877" and this webpage: http://www.achurchnearyou.com/blakeney-all-saints/ tells us that the church was built c1820.

However when referring to A History of the County of Gloucester, Volume 5 we see the following:

"Blakeney village grew up on the Gloucester- Chepstow road around the junction of the Soudley and Blackpool brooks, which powered a number of mills in and around the settlement. The village was large enough to have a chapel of ease by the mid 16th century and in 1583 it was said to contain 20 or 30 households. (fn. 60) About 1775 Blakeney tithing, which included only the north part of the village, was said to be the most populous of the tithings, with 50 families. (fn. 61) As a fairly populous village on the main through route and a centre for trade, Blakeney rather than the isolated Awre village became the principal focus of parish life. Blakeney's chapel came to attract larger congregations than the parish church, (fn. 62) the court of the manor of Awre and Etloe was usually held at one of its inns in the 18th century, (fn. 63) and by the 1770s the parish vestry usually met in the village. The vestry meetings were held in the church house (fn. 64) adjoining the chapel until the house, which also served as an inn called the Bird in Hand, was demolished to make room for the enlargement of the chapel in 1819."

Mike