Town Information.

[MarkCDodd]

One of the most confusing aspects of tracing your family in the UK is the myriad names used to describe a single location.

Let me give you an example....Sheriff Hales in Shropshire is one that I have to deal with. (It can also be in Staffordshire....)

You have:

Place Name: Sheriff Hales, Sheriffhales
County: Shropshire
Civial Registration District: Newport, Shiffnal
Probate Court: Court of the Bishop of Lichfield
Diocese: Lichfield
Rural Deanery: Brewood
Hundred: South Bradford, West Cuttlestone
Province: Canterbury

Some of these entries will change for the parts that are in Staffordshire!

Depending on what documents you are reading or researching, any of these names may be required to ensure you find and have the correct record and person.

You may also want to know the names of adjacent towns and parishes to determine wether or not somebody was likely to have worked there, had relatives there or met their spouse there.

I have found this site invaluable when trying to gather such information.

http://maps.familysearch.org/

[grangers14]

Genuki is very good too.
http://www.genuki.org.uk/

It gives near towns and how many miles away etc, all sorts of info you can get from there
Jo