Frequently asked questions

collage of Surrey Churches

How do I search the Index ?

If you are looking for, say South Beddington, St. Michael and All Angels church we suggest you just enter “Beddington Michael” into the search box (without the inverted commas). 

However if you don’t have the complete name try starting with a very broad search. So if you are searching for a church dedicated to St. Michael and All Angels, just enter Michael into the search box. That will give you just over twenty results, just scroll down the list until you find the one you want.

I know the town but not the dedication

Enter the town in the search box, just scroll through the results until you find the one you want

I don’t really understand your advice.

Please contact us. Click here or use the menu option at the top, or bottom of this page and we will try to help you. Please allow a few days for a reply. 

I have tried searching as you suggest but still cannot find the graveyard I am looking for. What do I do now ?

Please contact us . Click here or use the menu option at the top, or bottom of this page and we will try to help you. Please allow a few days for a reply.

Why can’t I search by denomination ?

Many church buildings have transferred between denomination over the years so a search by denomination would not necessarily find the church or chapel you are looking for. 

Why do you have duplicate entries for some churches ?

Many of the churches have been rebuilt over time, either “improved” or because of deterioration of the building or even bomb damage. If a church is rebuilt on the same “footprint” we treat that as the same church. If it is rebuilt on a different footprint or on another site we treat each of those as separate churches.

Why is Penge in Surrey ?

Penge was originally part of the Ancient Parish of Battersea and therefore in Surrey. In 1888 it became part of the new County of London. It is now in the London Borough of Bromley. 

Are there any other odd ones ?

The Manor of Hatcham was in the parish of Deptford which straddled the boundary between Kent and. Surrey. It was placed in Surrey by a decision of the Justices of Assize in Kent and Surrey in May 1636. (https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Surrey_Archaeological_Collections/Volume_1/A_Memoir_of_the_Manor_of_Hatcham,_co._Surrey)
and scroll to paragraph 155

It is now in the London Borough of Lewisham. 

What is an “Ancient Parish”

An ancient parish is a parish that in past times had both ecclesiastical and civil responsibilities. The civil responsibilities were gradually taken over by separate ad hoc bodies. Civil parishes were reformed by the Local Government Act 1894 to become the bottom tier of local government in England. Ecclesiastical parishes deal only with church matters. 

What is an “Ecclesiastical Parish”

An ecclesiastical parish is an administrative area within the Church of England or Roman Catholic church. It is distinct from the civil parish, a local government unit in England

What is a “Civil parish”

A civil parish is the bottom most tier of local government in England, sometimes called Town Councils in urban areas.
[NB Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have different systems of local government]

Why do some words on the parish pages have dotted lines under them?

If you hover your cursor over the words you will see a short definition of the term. If you need more information you could try Wikipedia or similar.