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This page gathers together details of research sources available and their limitations. It does not claim to be a definitive list any suggestions for inclusion are welcome.

MENU  Parish Records Registers Extra Parochial Area Burials ( My Transcription) Bishops Transcripts Poor Law Nonconformity Adjacent Parishes Ratcliffe Culey Sibson Twycross Orton on the Hill Atherstone (WAR) Polesworth (WAR) Grendon (WAR) Census Data Civil Registration Probate Miscellaneous notes IGI Coverage LDS Film Numbers Census Data Registers Poor Law

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Revised 05/04/2011
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Parish Records

Parish Registers

The surviving parish registers are deposited an the Records Office For Leicestershire and Rutland under accession number DE 1621. Fiche can be purchased individually from the records office.

Extra Parochial Area

To the immediate west of Sheepy Magna village there was a large tract of land that had previously been the property of Merevale Abbey. After the dissolution of the monasteries  these lands passed into private hands. They were however regarded as part of the parish of Merevale until annexed to Sheepy Magna in 1885. From early times the gate house Chapel, Church of Our Lady, to Merevale Abbey had assumed the role of parish church times and remains as such to this day. Theoretically residents within the extra parochial area should have used the church for weddings. In practice the more wealthy used Sheepy Magna church but labourers on the farms would tend to use the Merevale parish church especially if both were working in the area to avoid the additional expense. Unfortunately the early registers to 1727 have been lost and the IGI only covers baptisms no weddings. See here for LDS film numbers.

Bishop's Transcripts

Sheepy Magna has Bishops Transcripts for the period 1561 - 1872 with the following years missing. 

1562, 1564 - 69, 1571 -73, 1575, 1577 - 84, 1586 -1604, 1610 -15, 1618 - 20, 1623/4, 1630/1, 1635, 1641 - 59, 1663/4, 1684, 1689, 1696, 1698, 1702/3, 1712/3,  1725, 1731, 1815, 1837 - 41, 1846,  1854 - 1865,

Their condition is good

Poor Law Records

The Records Office For Leicestershire and Rutland has card index of main names mentioned in  the county poor law records i.e. Removal Orders, Settlement Certificates and examinations,  Bastardy bonds and Parish apprentices etc.  This index has been filmed by the LDS (see). The class number the documents for Sheepy are the DE 491 series. 

Nonconformity

If you suspect your ancestors of being non - conformists and they were residents of Sheepy the best places to look are Atherstone and possibly Hinckley. There are definitely some Sheepy residents listed in the Independent Chapel North Street's registers notably the Angrave family. The was a small Chapel in Sheepy Magna (now the memorial hall) but as far as I know no registers exist.

Census Data

All Census data 1841 - 1891 is listed under the Atherstone Class Number. The L&RFHS have published an index to the 1851 census (Vol 8) but this is largely redundant as the LDS Tri-Counties CD-ROM covers Sheepy Magna.

The Records Office For Leicestershire and Rutland  has films of all the census data and the LDS film numbers are listed below.

IGI Coverage

Beware, the IGI claims to cover the following dates for baptisms 1561-1584, 1605-1640, 1660-1742  and 1866-1871, but, as it is entirely based on the bishops transcripts there are many years omitted. See Bishop's Transcripts omissions 

Similarly the marriage coverage is claimed as 1561-1763, 1775 and 1787-1836 but the same omissions exist.

The those using the Internet Family Search pages the batch numbers are :-

the same omissions apply.

Civil Registration

Civil registration for Sheepy Magna is Atherstone 
Registration and Census District (1852 - 1946) 6d

Current Address

Warwick House
Ratcliffe Street
Atherstone
Warwickshire
CV9 1JP

Tel +44 (0)1827 713241
Fax +44 (0)1827 720467 (credit cards NOT accepted as at 12th Feb 1997).

Probate

Probate records for Sheepy residents prior to 1858 should have been proved at the Leicester Archdeaconry court, however many Sheepy residents of property also held possessions in Warwickshire . It is therefore also wise to check the PCC and Lichfield calendars. For residents in the extra parochial area consult the Peculiar calendars at Lichfield.

LDS Resources

LDS census films

LDS Register Films

Unfortunately for overseas researchers the are no LDS films of original registers for Sheepy Magna.

LDS Poor Law Index

Covers all Leicestershire

Addresses

The Record Office for Leicestershire, Leicester & Rutland

Telephone:- U.K. 0116 257 1080, Overseas +44 116 257 1080
Fax:- U.K. 0116 257 1120, Overseas +44 116 257 1120

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Martyn Parsons
Copyright © MDLP. All rights reserved.
Revised: 05 April 2011 18:51