Cressing, Essex Genealogy

England   Essex   Essex Parishes



Parish History
Cressing All Saints is an Ancient Parish in Essex.

Cressing Temple is an ancient monument situated between Witham and Braintree in Essex and originating from the 12th century, when it was the headquarters of the first grant of land given to the religious order of the Knights Templar in England. The estate was granted to the Templars in 1137 by Matilda, the wife of King Stephen. The two barns and the templar well which exist on the site, originate from this period. The Wheat Barn and the Barley Barn are the two finest Templar-built barns in Europe while the Barley Barn is recognised as the oldest timber-framed barn in the world.

In 1310 Cressing Temple was handed over to the Knights Hospitallers who built new stone buildings and expanded the site. Following the Reformation, in the late 16th Century there was a mansion on the site, now called the 'Great House', but it was demolished in the 18th Century and only the farmhouse, granary, wagon lodge and stableyards remain. The Tudor brick garden also stands and has been developed by Essex County Council who acquired the barns for the people of Essex in 1987. Extensive archaeological investigations were carried out as part of a programme of improvements and updates in the 1990s.

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

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.

Braintree 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.