Back to Site Contents | Back to WENSLEY Contents |
About Dr Campbell's IndexDr. Neville Campbell was honoured in an Obituary in Family Tree Magazine, Vol. 7 No. 7, Pg. 14 - May 1991 --Mr. James Skeggs, Somerset Record Office writes: "Readers will be sorry to learn of the death of Dr. Neville Campbell of Coombe St. Nicholas, Somerset. Dr. Campbell had an interesting career, encompassing time as a houseman at York, war service in Italy with the 4th Indian Division, and 20 years as a doctor in Sierra Leone. Family historians will remember him for his abiding interest in Somerset surnames. Indeed, his memorial will be the famous Dr. Campbell's Index at Somerset Record Office, at Taunton: an estimated 1,000,000 names painstakingly prepared from parish registers and covering baptisms and weddings for the period 1538-1900. He had completed his analysis of 153 of the 482 Somerset parishes and, coupled with this complex and absorbing task, had produced transcripts of many of the registers, supplementing the information with detail from the surviviing Bishops' Transcripts. He pieced together information from documents almost illegible due to the ravages of time. Until recently, Dr. Campbell had been attempting to identify two whole boxes of fragments of Bishops' Transcripts. He succeeded in many cases by a cunning combination of handwriting comparisons and knowledge of the subject, utilising his phenomenal memory of surnames. This resulted in a listing of early churchwardens and parish priests not included in any existing index -- another achievement. This kind, generous and warm-hearted gentleman will be remembered for a long time." Dr C's is a double sided card index. Years only are given, but baptisms are arranged into family groups in each parish. From the Somerset Record Office parish list I calculated that the index covered 147 parishes (although of course I may be wrong). These 147 parishes are listed below, with a * in columns M(arriage) or B(aptism) indicating at least one WENSLEY event recorded in that parish.
M B Parish ================ Aller Angersleigh Ash Priors * * Ashbrittle Ashill Barrington * Bathealton Beercrocombe Bickenhall * Bicknoller * * Bishops Hull Bishops Lydeard * Bradford on Tone Broadway * * Brompton Ralph * * Brompton Regis Broomfield * * Brushford Buckland St Mary * Carhampton Chaffcombe Chard Cheddon Fitzpaine Chillington * * Chipstable Churchstanton * * Clatworthy Combe Florey Combe St Nicholas Corfe Cothelstone * Crewkerne Cricket Malherbie Cricket St Thomas Crowcombe Cudworth Culbone Curland Curry Mallet Curry Rivel * Cutcombe Dinnington Donyatt Dowlish Wake Drayton * * Dulverton * Dunster East Lambrook * * Elworthy Exford Exmoor * * Exton Fitzhead Fivehead Halse Hambridge Hatch Beauchamp * Hawkridge Heathfield * Hillfarrance Hinton St George * * Huish Champflower Huish Episcopi Ilminster Ilton Isle Abbots Isle Brewers Kingsbury Episcopi * Kingston St Mary Kingstone * Kittisford Knowle St Giles * * Langford Budville Langport * * Leighland Long Load Long Sutton Lopen Luccombe Luxborough * * Lydeard St Lawrence Martock Merriot * * Milverton Misterton * * Monksilver Muchelney Nettlecombe * Norton Fitzwarren Nynehead Oake Oare * * Old Cleeve Orchard Portman Otterford Pitminster Porlock Puckington Raddington Ruishton Runnington * Sampford Arundel * Sampford Brett Seavington St Mary Seavington St Michae Selworthy Shepton Beauchamp * Skilgate South Petherton * St Decumans Staple Fitzpaine Staplegrove Stawley Stocklinch Magdalen Stocklinch Ottersay * * Stogumber Stoke Pero Stoke St Mary Swell Tatworth Thorne St Margaret Thornfalcon Thurlbear Thurloxton Timberscombe Tolland Treborough Trull * Upton Wansbrook Wayford West Bagborough * * West Buckland West Hatch * West Monkton * West Quantoxhead Whitelackington Whitestaunton Williton Wilton * * Winsford * * Winsham * Withiel Florey Withycombe Withypool * * Wiveliscombe * * Wootton Courteney |
Back to Site Contents | Back to WENSLEY Contents |
These pages compiled by Peter Brooks -
email me at
[email protected]