Thundersley, Essex Genealogy

England   Essex   Essex Parishes



Parish History
Thundersley St Peter is an Ancient Parish in Essex.

The twelfth century church was extended in 1966 and the extension forms the modern church.

Thundersley derives from the Old English Þunres lēah = "grove or meadow [perhaps sacred] belonging to the god Thunor". It has also historically been known as Thunresleam.

The diocese of Chelmsford was created in 1914, prior to this Essex parishes were in the jurisdiction of the Bishops of London until 1845 when they transferred to the diocese of Rochester. The diocese of Chelmsford has 474 parishes and 600 churches and is the second largest region in the church of England outside London.

The Parish of Thundersley has three Anglican churches - St. Peter's in Thundersley, St George's in New Thundersley and St. Michael's in Daws Heath, and several other Christian churches including Thundersley Congregational Church, Thundersley Gospel Hall and Thundersley Community Church at Swan's Green Hall.

THUNDERSLEY (St. Peter), a parish, in the union of Billericay, partly in the hundred of Rochford, but chiefly in the hundred of Barstable, S. division of Essex, 2¼ miles (S. W. by W.) from Rayleigh; containing 596 inhabitants, of whom 120 are in the hamlet. This parish is about two miles in length, and a mile and a half in breadth, and comprises 2100 acres, of which 100 are common or waste; the village is on elevated ground, and the surrounding scenery is pleasingly diversified. The living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at £14. 13. 4., and in the gift of the Rev. G. Hemming: the tithes have been commuted for £570; there is a parsonage-house, and the glebe comprises 40 acres. The church is a venerable structure in the later Norman and early English styles, with a tower and spire.

From: Samuel A. Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 349-351. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=51341&amp;amp;strquery=thundersley Date accessed: 02 February 2011.

The Parish of Thundersley includes Daws Heath. The north-western parts of the area (approximately St George's parish or the St George ward) are known as New Thundersley.

Since the Local Government Act 1972, Thundersley, along with Canvey Island, Hadleigh, and South Benfleet, has formed the parliamentary constituency and local government district and borough of Castle Point.

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.

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

Essex Online Parish Clerks (OPC)

Online images are available Seax - Essex Archives Online From the Essex Record Office See also Daws Heath Evangelical Church

Bishop's transcripts for Thundersley, 1639-1640 Microfilm of original records at the Guildhall Library, London. In Copies of parish registers brought in at visitations, various dates / Church of England. Diocese of London.

Baptisms, marriages, burials, 1639-1640 (185th parish). FHL BRITISH Film 413721

Bishop's transcripts for Thundersley, 1800-1868 Microfilm copy of original at Essex Record Office in Chelmsford, England. Essex Record Office, Chelmsford, reference: D/CR 364.

Bishop's transcripts for Thundersley, 1800-1868 Microfilm copy of original at Essex Record Office in Chelmsford, England.High reduction (42x) microfilm. Use high magnification reader. Essex Record Office, Chelmsford, reference: D/CR 364. Baptisms, burials, 1800-1803, 1813-1833, 1849-1868; marriages, 1800-1803, 1813-1834. FHL BRITISH Film 1702645 Item 3

Census records
Index for the Census may be searched at FamilySearch Historical Records

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

Poor Law Unions
Due to the size and location of the parish part Billericay Poor Law Union, Essex part

Rochford Poor Law Union, Essex

Probate records
Records of wills, administrations, inventories, indexes, etc. were filed by the court with jurisdiction over this parish. Go to Essex 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
Contributor: Add any relevant sites that aren’t mentioned above.