Heydon, Essex Genealogy

England   Essex   Essex Parishes

Parish History
HAYDON, or HEYDON (St. Peter), a parish, in the union of Royston, hundred of Uttlesford, N. division of Essex, 6 miles (E. by S.) from Royston; containing 324 inhabitants. The manor was formerly held in two portions under two lords, of whom one held the basin and the other the towel at the coronation of the kings of England. The parish occupies the northwestern extremity of the county, and comprises 1239a. 2r. 25p., of which 1155 acres are arable, 70 pasture, and the remainder roads and waste. The surface is irregular, and the lands generally are among the highest of the district; the soil in some parts is thin and light, resting on chalk. The living is a rectory, with that of Little Chishall annexed, valued in the king's books at £18, and in the gift of Lord Braybrooke: the tithes have been commuted for £419. 7. 8., and there are about 50 acres of glebe. The church, a handsome structure in the later English style, with a square embattled tower, consists of a nave, north and south aisles, and a chancel, in which is a sepulchral chapel belonging to the Soame family. Bishop Dove, in the reign of Elizabeth, was rector of the parish; as was also, recently, the Rev. Dr. Thackeray, a late head master at Harrow.

From: Samuel A. Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 450-454. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=51017 Date accessed: 11 April 2011.

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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Census 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 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
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 * England Jurisdictions 1851
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Web sites
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