About Us
Midland Ancestors’ Bromsgrove Family History Group covers the ancient market town of Bromsgrove and surrounding areas of north Worcestershire, from Kidderminster to Kings Norton and Redditch. Our website also co-hosts the Midland Ancestors’ Stourbridge Family History Group.
We meet on the second Tuesday of each month at 7.45 p.m. at the Methodist Centre, Stratford Road, Bromsgrove, B60 1AS unless otherwise stated. Meetings cover a wide variety of family and local history topics, some specific to the area and others of wider appeal. There is a large pay & display car park adjacent to the Hall which is now free after 7.00 p.m.
Our Resources
Our website at http://www.bromsgrovebmsgh.co.uk hosts a wealth of resources on the town and its people. These include:
- Bromsgrove Censuses 1811 and 1821. We are one of the few towns for which full pre-1841 censuses have survived.
- Bromsgrove Wills Index, 1600-99: This data set comprises wills of Bromsgrove residents proved during the 17th century.
- Bromsgrove Apprentices Index: Lists around 1500 appenticeships entered into with employers within the Bromsgrove jurisdiction from 1637 to 1813.
- Bromsgrove Messenger, 1860-1937. Digitised copies of the Messenger, the town’s first newspaper, from its launch in 1860 through to 1937.
- Worcestershire Family History Forum where family historians are able to share their findings and post queries about their ancestors in Worcestershire.
In the Shop
The Midland Ancestors shop has lots of useful information to download about Bromsgrove and neighbouring parishes, much of it not available elsewhere. Highlights include:
- Bromsgrove St John the Baptist, Parish Registers 1590-1720 together with records from various Nonconformist chapels.
- Bromsgrove St John the Baptist, Poor Law Records
- Bromsgrove Poll Tax of 1690
- Victorian Workhouse: A Study of the Bromsgrove Union Workhouse 1836-1901, book by Neville Land
Useful Links
Other sites about the history of Bromsgrove and the surrounding area:
- Austin Memories, John Baker’s website on the history of the Longbridge factory,
- The Bromsgrove Society, local history website with many family history records
- Bromsgrove on the Vision of Britain site, covering 1801-2001 including maps, statistical data and historical descriptions
- Feckenham Forest History Society, a wealthy rural parish that was once the largest forest in western England
- The Housman Society, appreciating the life and works of Alfred Edward Housman, Bromsgrove’s most famous son
- Romsley & Hunnington History Society, local history website with transcripts of parish registers and other records relating to these two villages
- Worcestershire Archives & Archaeology Service, our award-winning local archives service based at The Hive in Worcester
