Worcestershire

Rock Stockton-on-teme Lindridge Kidderminster Ombersley

      Elsmore and Bowyer families came from villages in Worcester County. Worcester County comprises two lowland plains divided by hills. The hills rise to more than 1,300 feet. The eastern lowland plain covers the rich valleys of the Severn and Avon Rivers. Grains and fruit are important agricultural products (Pigot�s Dir. of Worcestershire).

      The villages that the Elsmore and Bowyer ancestors came from are located on the map below. Click on a village to go to it.



Kidderminster. Map

      Charlotte Elsmore (great-grandmother, 1828) was born here. Her mother, Elizabeth Davenport, was buried here. Her grandmother, Emma Davenport (3rd-great-grandmother, 1783) was born and died here (1828). Her grandfather, Thomas Davenport (3rd-great-grandfather) died here in 1806.

  St. Mary and All Saints Church was built in the 15th century.

  Font in St. Mary and All Saints Church.

      Kidderminster is a market town on the River Stour. St. Mary�s & All Saint�s Church is the largest parish church in Worcestershire. The nave, the oldest part of the church still standing, is from the 15th century. The font is from 1873 (In and Around St Mary�s). Richard Baxter was a lecturer in the church (see Bridgnorth).

  St George�s Church was built in 1823.

  St John�s Church was built in 1843.

      St George�s Church was built in 1823. St John�s Church was built in 1843. The manufacturing of carpets was an important industry in 1842 (Pigot�s Dir. of Worcestershire, 1842, Page 1, Page 1096).

Lindridge. Map

      William Bowyer (5th-great-grandfather, 1694), an ancestor of James Bowyer Shelley, was christened here.

  The Church of St. Lawrence was rebuilt in 1861.

  Interior of the Church of St. Lawrence.

  Font in Church of St. Lawrence.

      Lindridge is a village on the River Teme. The Church of St. Lawrence was rebuilt on the site of the former church in 1861 in early-decorated English style (Pigots Directory of Shropshire, Page 45, Kelly�s Directory of Worcestershire, Page 153).

Ombersley. Map

      The parents of Charlotte Elsmore (great-grandmother, 1828), George Elsmore (1803) and Elizabeth Davenport (1810), were married in Ombersley about 1826.

  St. Andrew's Church was built in 1829.

  Interior of St. Andrew's Church.

  Houses near church in Ombersley.

      Ombersley is a village one mile east of the River Severn. It was a thriving market town when George and Elizabeth Elsmore were married there. In 1851, 2,364 people lived in Ombersley. The St. Andrew�s Church was built between 1825 and 1829. The chancel of the old church still stands and is used as a burial place. The village remains picturesque today because of its brick and Tudor buildings (Wilson 425, Kelly�s Directory of Worcestershire, Page 190, Pigot�s Directory of Worcestershire, 1842, Page 525).

Rock. Map

      The father of James Bowyer Shelley (2nd-great-grandfather, 1792), James Bowyer, was christened here in 1768. He died here in 1853. His parents were buried here. Edward Bowyer (4th-great-grandfather, 1738) was buried in Rock in 1799 and his wife, Ann Roberts (1738), was buried in Rock in 1824.

  The Church of St. Peter and St. Paul was built in the 12th century.

  James Bowyer (3rd-great-grandfather) may have been christened in this font in 1768.

  Church window.

  Houses in Rock.

      Rock was a small village with mines in the 18th and 19th centuries. The mines were abandoned in the 19th century and many workers left the village. Today there are only a few houses and residents. The Church of St. Peter and St. Paul at Rock was first built in 1162. The vestry was added in the 14th Century and the tower, Lady Chapel, and South Aisle were added about 1510. The font is of the early Norman Style. The building was used as a school in the 18th century. It was restored in 1861, 1881, and 1929 (Kelly�s Directory of Worcestershire, Page 212, Wilson 711, The Church of St. Peter & St. Paul). �Stocks, a whipping post and a heavily studded �dug-out� medieval chest are at the west end of the nave (Some ideas about this church and its carvings. Picked up at Rock Church, 2001).�

Stockton-on-teme. Map

      Edward Bowyer (4th-great-grandfather, 1738) was christened here. His father, William Bowyer, died here in 1764. His grandmother, Hannah Brooke, was buried here in 1728.

  St. Andrew's Church was built in the 12th century.

  Entrance to St. Andrew's Church.

  Sign at St. Andrew's Church.

      Stockton-on-teme is a village on the River Teme. The Norman Church of St. Andrew was built during the reign of Henry II. It was repaired in 1846 and 1898 (Wilson 60, Kelly�s Directory of Worcestershire, Page 222).

Home - Ancestors - Emigration - History - Places