Leigh-on-Sea, Essex Genealogy

England Essex   Essex Parishes



Parish History
LEIGH (St. Clement), a parish and sea-port, in the union and hundred of Rochford, S. division of Essex, 4½ miles (S. W.) from Rochford; containing 1271 inhabitants. Here is a meeting-house for Wesleyans.

From: Lewis, Samuel A., A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848).

Leigh or Leigh -on-Sea St Clement is an Ancient Parish  in Essex.

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.

Leigh-on-Sea was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Legra. It started as a fishing centre between the north bank of the Thames estuary and a cliff. The Church of St. Clement, at the cliff top, has been an important landmark for sailors since 1400 or earlier. A flight of stairs led down to the village. Another settlement grew at the top of the cliff. The two settlements coalesced to form a single town. The lower part became known as "Old Leigh" or "Leigh Old Town". The sheltered position at the mouth of the Thames made Leigh a successful centre of international trade and shipbuilding.

Because of its good position on the shipping route to London, Leigh-on-Sea had grown to a fairly large and prosperous port by the 16th century. Ships as large as 340 tons were built for fishing and other purposes.

By the 18th century, ships had become larger and trade changed. Leigh's deep water channel silted up and the town diminished in importance. It then reverted to a fishing village, gradually, providing supplies to the London market by road and barge. When the London to Tilbury railway was extended to Southend in 1856, the town was split again, and many timber-framed buildings were demolished.

The completion of the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway in 1854 allowed greater trade with London and the rest of the world, and made Leigh a commuter town for London workers.

During World War II, Leigh-on-Sea was part of a restricted zone and residents who did not have to stay were urged to leave. A balloon barrage was moored to boats in the Thames Estuary to impede efforts by the Luftwaffe to fly up the Thames. The fishing fleet from Leigh was part of the flotilla from around the country that participated in the evacuation of British forces from the beaches of Dunkirk. A memorial in St. Clements churchyard is dedicated to their bravery and sacrifice.

The fabric of the Church of St. Clement includes, from the 15th century: the West tower, the North aisle and a brass monument to Richard Haddock; and from the 17th century: a brass of Robert Salmon (Master of Trinity House).

The Church of Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Joseph on Leigh Road (designed by Fr. Gilbert, 1924), the Church of St. Michael and All Angels on Leigh Road and the Church of St. Margaret on Lime Avenue (designed by Sir Charles Nicholson, begun 1926 and 1931, respectively) are considered noteworthy buildings.

The main seafood catch from Leigh Old Town has always been shell-fish and whitebait. Many of the fishing boats were "bawleys". These form part of the painting View at the mouth of the Thames.

Leigh-on-Sea, sometimes called Leigh, is a civil parish in Essex, England. It is part of Southend-on-Sea for administrative purposes. It became a civil parish in 1996. The council tax was increased to support it. A town council was formed. Leigh is the only parish in Southend.

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 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

Online images are available Seax - Essex Archives Online From the Essex Record Office See also Leigh Methodist Wesleyan Church

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.

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
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.