Gosfield, Essex Genealogy

England   Essex   Essex Parishes



Parish History
Gosfield St Katharine is an Ancient Parish in the county of 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.

GOSFIELD (St. Catherine), a parish, in the union of Halstead, hundred of Hinckford, N. division of Essex, 2¾ miles (W. S. W.) from Halstead; containing 653 inhabitants. The surface is generally elevated, rising in almost every direction; the soil is a good loam, mixed in different degrees with sand and gravel. The ancient Hall is situated in an extensive park, abounding with stately trees. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £8; patron and impropriator, E. G. Barnard, Esq.: the great tithes have been commuted for £161. 16. 3., and the vicarial for £257. 16. The church is in the park, and attached to it is a small sepulchral chapel, formerly a chantry; in the chancel, and also in the chapel, are some elegant monuments.

From: 'Goodneston - Gosforth', A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 315-319. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=50985&amp;amp;strquery=gosfield Date accessed: 16 February 2011. Dedicatory name is recorded as St Katharine in the Essex Record Office Catalogue reference D/P 165/1/

The village and civil parish are for administrative purposes in the Braintree District of Essex County Council.

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

Online images are available Seax - Essex Archives Online From the Essex Record Office

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
Halstead 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.