Elsing, Norfolk Genealogy

England   Norfolk



Parish History
Elsing St mary the Virgin is an Ancient Parish in the Sparham deanery of the Diocese of Norwich.

The village is named after a Danish chieftain, “Elesa”, whose image appears on the village sign together with his hunting hound. In mediaeval times, Elsing was a thriving town with a population of over a thousand. It had its own market and guildhall. The church of St Mary, built in 1347, has the widest pillarless nave in East Anglia. There is a brass commemorating the life of Sir Hugh Hastings, the Lord of the Manor. The Hastings family built the moated Elsing Hall in 1470. The Hall has a priest hole amongst its many features - used during the 16th century to hide Catholic priests from persecution.

Civil Registration
Birth, marriages and deaths were kept by the government, from July 1837 to the present day. The civil registration article tells more about these records. There are several Internet sites with name lists or indexes. A popular site is FreeBMD.


 * Mitford 1837-1938
 * East Dereham 1939-1974

Church records
Contributor: Include here information for parish registers, Bishop’s Transcripts, non conformist and other types of church records, such as parish chest records. Add the contact information for the office holding the original records. Add links to the Family History Library Catalog showing the film numbers in their collection

Images of the parish registers may be viewed online in Historic Records (formerly Record Search) Norfolk Record Office reference PD 286

Census records
Contributor: Include an overview if there is any unique information, such as the census for X year was destroyed. Add a link to online sites for indexes and/or images. Also add a link to the Family History Library Catalog showing the film numbers in their collection.

http://www.1881pubs.com/ for details of public houses in the 1881 census

Probate records
Records of wills, administrations, inventories, indexes, etc. were filed by the court with jurisdiction over this parish. Go to Norfolk Probate Records to find the name of the court having primary jurisdiction. Scroll down in the article to the section Court Jurisdictions by Parish.

Maps and Gazetteers
Maps are a visual look at the locations in England. Gazetteers contain brief summaries about a place.


 * England Jurisdictions 1851
 * Vision of Britain

Web sites
http://www.achurchnearyou.com/elsing-st-mary/ for information about the parish

http://www.norwich.anglican.org/church?deanery=23 Sparham deanery website

http://www.themcs.org/churches/Elsing%20St%20Mary%20the%20Virgin.html Images of the church

http://www.norfolkstainedglass.co.uk/elsing/home.shtm stained glass of the church

http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-220724-church-of-st-mary-elsing British listed buidings