The Parish Records of Helpston

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The baptism font in St Botolph's Church

David Dunford

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Example of a marriage certificate 1837

Sheila Dunford

St Botolph's Church

We have transcribed records¹ from 1685, recording baptisms, marriages and burials, and used the Bishops’ Transcripts to compare and check for accuracy.

There are many missing and incorrect records, and where possible, we have attempted to complete the information from other sources, e.g. census records.

Baptisms from 1685-1854

There were very few names in common use in the 17th century and parents frequently named their children after themselves. John, Henry, William and Thomas were amongst the most common names for boys, and Mary, Elizabeth and Ann for girls.

Baptisms were the most frequent ceremony in any year. The early records showed that many couples had a baby baptised, who subsequently died, and in following years baptised successive babies with the same name. This is a sad reflection of the high rate of infant mortality, which reduced gradually in the 20th century.

Marriages from 1685-1911

There were only a few marriages in each year, but one of the interesting things is that, from 1837 onwards, the records showed the occupation of the groom and his father, and also the occupation of the bride’s  father, the names of the witnesses and who solemnised the marriage.

Burials from 1685 to 2021

From 1685 to 1881, the burials are in the graveyard at St Botolph’s Church. In January 1882, the new cemetery in Maxey Road was opened, with several extensions over the years. We have been able to transcribe the Registers of Burials and the Registers of Graves. With two other members of the Helpston Local History Group, we are in the process of updating the 1998 & 2004 site plans² of the cemetery, showing where people are buried, hopefully making it easier to search for an individual burial on the plans and digitised records.

It should be noted that until 1752 Britain used the Julian calendar. New Year began on the 25th March (Lady Day). The Gregorian calendar was introduced on 1st January 1752. Consequently 1751 was a short year, running only from 25th March to 31st December.

If anyone would like to find out about someone who may have been baptised, married or buried in Helpston, please contact us and using a simple search (which is free of charge) we will do our best help you. If you would like more assistance with your enquiry, why not join our mutually supportive group.

Sources
1 Mary Moyse’s previous transcription of the Parish Records of Helpston from 1685 to 1889
2 Helpston 1882 Cemetery, researched by Mrs J Bancroft and Mr G Boyden 1998
2 Helpston Burial Board, Second Cemetery, and Additional Spaces, prepared by J A Bancroft and G Boyden 2004
Parish Records and Bishop’s Transcripts from The National Archives on Ancestry.co.uk