Research Forum

Have you tried the Bishops Transcripts for Berrow - they appear to start at 1593 according to the online catalogue of the Somerset Heritage Centre?

You are quite correct in that there are no earlier surviving parish records for Berrow deposited in Taunton before 1703 for baptisms, 1700 for marriages and 1706 for burials.  Of course he might just have been living at Berrow when he married having been born elsewhere.

In cases like this my first thought would be adjacent parishes - But, Brean records are even later, South Brent or Brent Knoll records  begin in 1678/9 and Lympsham records start in 1734.  Look for their Bishops Transcripts as well.

I note that in a transcription of Tudor Subsidies for 1581-82 nearby parishes are named as East Brent, South Brente, Lymsame, Breane, Barrowe, etc.    So I would agree with your assumption that Berrow and Barrow could be the same place.

Having eliminated these parishes from the equation -You've probably tried looking for a Will for Thomas URCH in case any other family members are named.  Or any other URCH Will in Somerset for that period.

Have a look at some of the early Tax Records for Somerset for the name URCH to see where the name URCH occurs.  For example - Hearth tax for Somerset 1664-5, Window Tax 1696-1851 , Military Musters etc.  Deeds and Leases of property sometimes have valuable information about past owners.  Removal Orders can sometimes be found in parishes some distance from the home parish.

Don't give up!

Hi Pat,

Thank you for your help, that's good news about Barrowe meaning Berrow, I guessed as much but it's nice to get some confirmation.

I am in the process of purchasing the Bishop's Transcripts for Berrow; Somerset Heritage Centre told me via their Archives dept that all Berrow records prior to the year of 1700 were destroyed. I don't know how or why, but it is a great shame.

Thanks for the tip about Tax records, I will have a look into them.

My spreadsheet on my One Name Study is gradually taking shape. I have along with another Urch Researcher deduced that there were two brothers & a sister who originally came from the Catalonian area of Spain in the early 1500's and settled in Wedmore and their descendents gradually moved out into other Parish's and eventually all over the UK and further afield to the USA, Canada, Australia & elsewhere.

I am beginning to trace a lot of Urch families all the way back to these two brothers in the early 1500's.

I have even found the father of Thomas Urch the Baker in Bristol whose son also a Thomas and a Baker loaned £6,000 to Thomas Harvey in the early 1800's to save his Bristol Cream Sherry business from administration although his business wasn't called that in those days.That was a lot of money in those days.

His father was a William Urch from Bedminster and I now suspect my brickwall Samuel Urch born circa 1750 was also his son so Thomas Urch the elder and my Samuel were possible brothers.

I have also been trying to assist other Urch researchers with their family trees which I find extremely satisfying.

Thank you

Alun Urch

Just a thought. If your interpretation is wrong then other possiblities may be Barrow Gurney, Nr Bristol or North Barrow Nr Ilchester. ????

Hi,

Thank you for your contribution. I thought about that possibility, but

decided on Berrow because it was nearer to Burnham which was Thomas Urch wife's birthplace

Alun Urch