Beaudesert, Warwickshire

Historical Description

Beaudesert, a parish in Warwickshire, in the eastern vicinity of Henley-in-Arden, 4 miles N by W of Bearley station on the Stratford-on-Avon and Alcester section of the G.W.R., and 8 N by W of Stratford-on-Avon. Post town, Heuley-in-Arden, under Birmingham. Acreage, 1318; population, 141. A small village of the same name as the parish was formerly a market-town. A strong castle was erected here by Thurstane de Montfort soon after the Conquest, but was completely destroyed in the Wars of the Roses. From Beaudesert Hill there is an extensive view. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Worcester; net value, £269 with residence. Patron, the Lord Chancellor. The church is chiefly Norman, with insertions of later date; the chancel has a fine Norman arch. with zigzag mouldings and scalloped capitals; the east window is also of Norman date, and displays zigzag mouldings. There are some ancient monuments to former rectors. Richard Jago, born in 1715, the author of " Edge-Hill" and other poems, was a native.

Administration

The following is a list of the administrative units in which this place was either wholly or partly included.

Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.

Church Records

The Warwickshire County Record Office hold the following registers for Beaudesert:

Most of the records prior to 1911 have been digitised and are available on Ancestry.co.uk

Civil Registration

For general information about Civil Registration (births, marriages and deaths) see the Civil Registration page.

Directories & Gazetteers

We have transcribed the entry for Beaudesert from the following:

• Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Beaudesert (St. Nicholas))

Land and Property

The Return of Owners of Land in 1873 for Warwickshire is available to browse.

Maps

Online maps of Beaudesert are available from a number of sites:

• Bing (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
• Google Streetview.
• National Library of Scotland. (Old maps)
• OpenStreetMap.
• old-maps.co.uk (Old Ordnance Survey maps to buy).
• Streetmap.co.uk (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
• A Vision of Britain through Time. (Old maps)

Newspapers and Periodicals

The British Newspaper Archive have fully searchable digitised copies of the following Warwickshire papers online:

• Leamington Spa Courier

Visitations Heraldic

The Visitation of Warwickshire 1619 is available on the Heraldry page.