Hardwicke, Gloucestershire
Historical Description
Hardwicke, a village and a parish in Gloucestershire. The village stands near the Gloucester and Berkeley Canal, 2 miles W of Haresfield station on the M.R., and 4½ SW by S of Gloucester, and gives the title of Earl to the family of Yorke. It has a post and telegraph office under Gloucester; money order office, Bristol Road. The parish comprises 2150 Acres; population, 591. The manor belonged formerly to the Botelers, the Tryes, and the Yorkes. Hardwicke Court, a modern edifice, is the seat of the lord of the manor. The first reformatory for boys was established in this park in 1854 by Mr Baker; it has accommodation for about seventy boys, and is now conducted at the expense of the Government. The living is a vicarage, annexed to the vicarage of Standish, in the diocese of Gloucester and Bristol; joint net value, £310. Patron, the Bishop. The church is Early English and Tudor; consists of nave, aisles, and chancel, with porch and tower; contains monuments of the Tryes, and a very ancient font, and was restored and enlarged in 1876.
Administration
The following is a list of the administrative units in which this place was either wholly or partly included.
| Ancient County | Gloucestershire | |
| Hundred | Whitstone | |
| Poor Law union | Wheatenhurst |
Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.
Church Records
The Phillimore transcript of Marriages at Hardwicke 1566-1812, Gloucestershire is available to browse online.
The Gloucestershire Parish Registers are available online at Ancestry, in association with Gloucestershire Archives.
Churches
Church of England
St. Nicholas (parish church)
The church of St. Nicholas is a building of stone in the Early English and Late Perpendicular styles, consisting of chancel, nave of four hays, aisles, south porch and an embattled western tower, containing a clock and 6 bells: in the church are several ancient monuments of the Trye family, formerly lords of the manor for 300 years: the stained east window is a memorial to Mr. and Mrs. Fenwick; the west window of the south aisle, erected in Nov. 1887, is a memorial to Thomas Barwick Lloyd Baker: the church was thoroughly restored and enlarged in 1876, when the north aisle was added, the galleries removed, an organ chamber and organ erected at a cost of £1,800, including the organ, which cost £220: there are 350 sittings.
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 Hardwicke from the following:
- Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Hardwick, or Hardwicke)
Land and Property
The Return of Owners of Land in 1873 for Gloucestershire is available to browse.
Maps
Online maps of Hardwicke 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 newspapers covering Gloucestershire online:
- Gloucester Citizen
- Gloucester Journal
- Gloucestershire Chronicle
- Gloucestershire Echo
- Cheltenham Chronicle
- Cheltenham Looker-On
Visitations Heraldic
The Visitation of the county of Gloucester, 1623 is available on the Heraldry page.