Mitcham, Surrey Genealogy

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Parish History
MITCHAM (St. Peter and St. Paul), a parish, in the union of Croydon, Second division of the hundred of Wallington, E. division of Surrey, 9 miles (S. S. W.) from London; containing 4532 inhabitants. This parish, which is situated on the road to Reigate, is divided into Upper Mitcham, formerly called Whitford or Waterford, and Lower Mitcham, anciently Michelham, or "the great dwelling," a name probably derived from the district having been at an early period the residence of persons of distinction. The air is so remarkable for its salubrity, that Dr. Fothergill, an eminent physician of the last century, called the place the Montpelier of England. In various parts are old mansions with spacious walled gardens and pleasure-grounds, and the surrounding scenery is diversified; the river Wandle, which abounds with excellent trout, passes at the extremity of the village. The soil is a rich loam, lying upon gravel of great depth, and is distinguished for its production of elms of stately growth: the greater portion of the land is laid out in plantations of chamomile, liquorice, peppermint, roses, lavender, and other aromatic plants. A small common, at the entrance into the village from London, still retains the name of Figge's marsh, having been the property of Sir Edward Figge in the time of Edward III. The principal business is the printing of calico, silks, and challis; and there are snuffmills upon a large scale. A pleasure-fair is held for three days, commencing on August 12th. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £10; net income, £456; patron, William Simpson, Esq., in right of his lady, a lineal descendant of Archbishop Cranmer, and owner of the manor of Mitcham; impropriator, D. Watney, Esq. The church, an ancient structure of flint and stone, which had become greatly dilapidated, was taken down in 1822, and handsomely rebuilt in the later English style, with the exception of the tower. There are places of worship for Independents and Wesleyans. A Sunday school, established in 1788, has an endowment of £62. 12. per annum; and a national school, supported by subscription, was enlarged in 1839, from a portion of the funds. The almshouses on the Green, for twelve widows or unmarried women, were founded in 1829, by Miss Tate, who endowed them with an estate producing to each of the inmates £7. 16. per annum. Among the eminent characters who formerly resided at Mitcham, were, Archbishop Cranmer, whose mansion is still remaining; Sir Julius Cæsar, who entertained Queen Elizabeth in his house for one day at an expense of more than £700; Sir Walter Raleigh, whose ancient mansion on the Green, which, previously to his expedition to Guiana, he sold for £2500, was taken down in 1833; Dr. Donne; Lord Chancellor Loughborough; and the late Peter Waldo, Esq., the last of the Waldenses, known by his treatise on the Liturgy of the Church of England, and whose mansion, part of which was erected in the reign of Edward II., is still remaining, with some carvings of the time of Elizabeth, and others by Grinlin Gibbons, in excellent preservation.

From: A Topographical Dictionary of England by Samuel A. Lewis (1848), pp. 325-329. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=51154 Date accessed: 30 November 2010.

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
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Probate records
Records of wills, administrations, inventories, indexes, etc. were filed by the court with jurisdiction over this parish. Go to Surrey 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
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 * England Jurisdictions 1851
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Web sites
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