St Matthew Walsall Staffordshire information | FreeREG

Information about St Matthew of Walsall in Staffordshire

St Matthew has the following registers: Parish Register Bishop's Transcript Other Transcript

Details about the church
Field Value
Denomination of the Church Church of England
The Church Website www.stmatthewswalsall.co.uk
Number of transcriptions 112423
First year for a transcription 1570
Last year for a transcription 1986
Last date a transcription added 28 Dec 2024
Last date church information changed 15 Jan 2025
Notes about the Church "The Parish Church, St Matthew, stands on a bold and commanding eminence, and is approached from the head of High Street by a long flight of steps, the summit of which commands an extensive view of the town, as the streets descend from the churchyard very abruptly on every side, except the south. It is a large and handsome structure, which was nearly all rebuilt, except the tower and lofty spire, in 1821. The building is in the transition style of the 14th and 15th centuries, and the interior has a light appearance, the pillars, mullions of the windows, etc, being of cast iron. At the south west angle rises the massive tower, surmounted by a handsome spire, which was erected about 1775, when a set of eight bells were put up, the tenor weighing 23 cwt. The original church was a very ancient fabric, though it exhibited no trace of Saxon architecture. Many of its antique ornaments are still preserved in the new erection, and among them are seven stalls on each side of the chancel, the seats of which are ornamented with a great variety of grotesque figures, carved in basso-relievo. Under this part of the church is a remarkable cript of massy Gothic workmanship, forming a common passage through the eastern division of the churchyard. The nave is spacious, lofty, and neatly pewed, and the galleries are supported by very slender clustered iron columns, terminated by fine pointed arches. The large window at the west end was embellished by a beautiful stained glass figure of St Matthew, but it was blown out by an explosion of gas which had escaped under one of the pews, and killed the beadle, who accidently ignited it just after the congregation had left on October 10th, 1847. The churchyard having become much too small for the increased wants of the parish, the corporation in 1756 gave two acres of land on the south side of the town, and in the same year it was enclosed and consecrated as a new burial ground. The vicarage is in the patronage of the Earl of Bradford, and incumbency of the Rev JH Sharwood, M.A." [From History, Gazetteer and Directory of Staffordshire, William White, Sheffield, 1851]
Number of records by decade
Period Information Those periods with zero data may span several decades. The first may include pre 1530 records. Baptisms Marriages Burials Total
Transcribed by Jonathan Maxfield,Gareth Pritchard,Jane W,Steffy Hale Jonathan Maxfield,Dale Braden,Steffy Hale Steffy Hale,Jonathan Maxfield,Dale Braden Jonathan Maxfield,Dale Braden,Gareth Pritchard,Jane W,Steffy Hale
1530–1569
1570–1579 618 163 501 1,282
1580–1589 632 170 507 1,309
1590–1599 704 204 667 1,575
1600–1609 726 167 571 1,464
1610–1619 776 146 658 1,580
1620–1629 858 156 738 1,752
1630–1639 728 162 609 1,499
1640–1649 859 98 683 1,640
1650–1659 767 767
1660–1669 804 125 571 1,500
1670–1679 1,098 227 952 2,277
1680–1689 1,340 271 1,192 2,803
1690–1699 1,288 214 1,022 2,524
1700–1709 1,438 253 1,065 2,756
1710–1719 1,357 294 966 2,617
1720–1729 1,488 306 1,649 3,443
1730–1739 2,119 516 1,679 4,314
1740–1749 2,096 498 1,932 4,526
1750–1759 2,421 617 1,756 4,794
1760–1769 2,700 738 1,155 4,593
1770–1779 2,891 752 983 4,626
1780–1789 3,182 736 695 4,613
1790–1799 3,179 759 488 4,426
1800–1809 3,027 816 208 4,051
1810–1819 2,857 784 1,603 5,244
1820–1829 3,744 948 2,384 7,076
1830–1839 4,687 1,006 3,074 8,767
1840–1849 3,736 676 3,494 7,906
1850–1859 4,856 1,036 2,737 8,629
1860–1869 4,264 787 169 5,220
1870–1879 763 145 908
1880–1889 534 98 632
1890–1899 540 35 575
1900–1909 10 10
1910–1919 7 7
1920–1929 9 9
1930–1939 3 3
1940–1949 2 2
1950–1959 9 9
1960–1969 161 161
1970–1979 275 275
1980–1989 232 232
1990–2029

Please note: due to different methods of record counting there may be discrepancies in the record totals on this page

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