A Topographical Dictionary of England. 4 vols. in 2. Samuel Lewis. Hardbound, (1831), 2018, Illus., 2,462 pp.

This is a reprint of the original 1831 edition, one of only two editions of the Lewis Dictionary that will lead the genealogist back to the English parishes and chapelries that are of importance in seeking probate records.

In alphabetical order, every county, city, borough, market town, post town, parish, chapelry, township, hamlet, tything, and hundred in England is accurately recorded and described. With respect to counties, information furnished includes the following: situation, extent, and population of the county; statistics and history of all civil and ecclesiastical jurisdictions; and accounts of the courts of assize and quarter sessions. With respect to cities, boroughs and market towns, information given includes: situation and bearing from nearest county town; population and local institutions; and markets, municipal government, courts, and religious establishments. Concerning parishes, data provided covers the townships and chapelries which the parishes comprise, their archdeaconries and dioceses, and, if of exempt ecclesiastical jurisdiction, the peculiar court to which the parish belongs.

In townships, chapelries, hamlets, and tythings forming civil divisions of parishes, the same arrangement of data is given, but with respect to villages and hamlets which are not recognized divisions, they are described under their respective parishes. Key to the work (for the genealogist) is the fact that even the most obscure place in England is identified in relation to a parish and in most cases to a specific church. But over and above its obvious genealogical value, the Dictionary is a fascinating and illuminating work in itself, and it brings to life the ancestral homes and villages which until now have existed in name only, or as part of family lore and tradition.

Book #: 3360-C
ISBN: 9780806315089