East Grinstead, Sussex Genealogy

England   Sussex     Sussex Parishes



Parish History
GRINSTED, EAST (St. Swithin), a market-town and parish, the head of a union, and formerly a representative borough, in the hundred of East Grinsted, rape of Pevensey, E. division of Sussex, 19¾ miles (N.) from Lewes, and 30 (S. by E.) from London.

East Grinstead St Swithin (sometimes Swithun) is an Ancient Parish and a market town in the county of Sussex. Other places in the parish include: Ashurst, Burliegh Arches Manor, and Clarkes Manor.

St Swithun church history

The church of St Swithun has been designated as a grade B listed Building British listed building

East Grinstead church history introduction List of demolished worship places in West Sussex

From the Ancient parish the following were formed:

St Mary church history

St Barnabas Sunnyside

St Luke Stone Quarry

East Grinstead Sussex Online Parish Clerks(OPC)

See also East Grinstead Wikipedia for history of the Anglican Church development in the town and the four churches.

Ashurst Wood St Dunstan Sussex Online Parish Clerks(OPC)

Also A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 344-347. here

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.

For civil registration history see East Grinstead registration district Certificates may be obtained from East Sussex The Register Office Town Hall Grove Road Eastbourne BN21 4UG Phone01323 464780 Fax 01323 431386 email eastbourne.registrar@eastsussex.gov.uk

Church records
parish registers of christenings, marriages and burials are available online for the following years:

East Grinstead St. Swithun records held at West Sussex Record Office

Bap 1638-1897 Marr 1638-1926 Bur 1638-1867 Bishop’s transcripts 1606-1899

Links to the Family History Library Catalog showing the film numbers in their collection

Leppard, M. J. East Grimstead Parish Registers 1558-1661: A Supplementary List of Additions and Corrections. Additions and corrections to the Parish Register of East Grinstead. Includes extracts from Wills to documents, burial entries that were lost in a fire, as well as baptisms and marriages. Article to be found in magazine, Sussex Family Historian. Vol. q. #2. Sept 1973 pages 41-44, Family History Library Ref. 942.25 B2su

Census records
FamilySearch Centres offer free access to images of the England and Wales Census through FHC Portal Computers here have access to the Family History Centre Portal page which gives free access to premium family history software and websites that generally charge for subscriptions.

to locate local Family History Centres in UK

to locate outside UK.

Many archives and local history collections in public libraries in England and Wales offer online census searches and also hold microfilm or fiche census returns.

The 1851 census of England and Wales attempted to identify religious places of worship in addition to the household survey census returns.

Prior to the 1911 census the household schedule was destroyed and only the enumerator's schedule survives.

The 1911 census of England and Wales was taken on the night of Sunday 2 April 1911 and in addition to households and institutions such as prisons and workhouses, canal boats merchant ships and naval vessels it attempted to include homeless persons. The schedule was completed by an individual and for the first time both this record and the enumerator's schedule were preserved. Two forms of boycott of the census by women are possible due to frustration at government failure to grant women the universal right to vote in parliamentary and local elections. The schedule either records a protest by failure to complete the form in respect of the women in the household or women are absent due to organisation of groups of women staying away from home for the whole night. Research estimates that several thousand women are not found by census search.

Poor Law Unions
East Grinstead Poor Law Union, Sussex

Probate records
Records of wills, administrations, inventories, indexes, etc. were filed by the court with jurisdiction over this parish. Go to Sussex 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