Springfield, Essex Genealogy

England   Essex



Parish History
Springfield All Saints is an Ancient Parish in Essex. The parish takes in the portion of Chelmsford town north of river Chelmer and west of the A12 bypass and originally comprised the manors of Springfield Hall, Springfield Barnes, Cuton Hall, and in part New Hall

A former resident of the village, a William Pynchon, went on to be one of the early American colonists, founding Springfield, Massachusetts, and possibly inspiring the creation of a string of other US Springfields.

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.

SPRINGFIELD (All Saints), a parish, in the union and hundred of Chelmsford, S. division of Essex, 1 mile (N. E.) from Chelmsford; containing 2256 inhabitants. This parish, which is separated from that of Chelmsford by the river Chelmer, is supposed to have derived its name from the extraordinary number of springs within its limits. It comprises by admeasurement 2728 acres; the soil is a good loamy earth, partially mixed with gravel, and the surface rises gently from the banks of the river. The village is pleasantly situated on elevated ground commanding fine views, and has been much increased since the formation of the Chelmsford and Maldon navigation: the county gaol is here. The living is a rectory in two portions, called Bosworth's and Richard's, consolidated by Bishop Sherlock, the former valued in the king's books at £11. 6. 8., and the latter at £11. 4. 9½.; patron, the Rev. Arthur Pearson. The tithes have been commuted for £848; there is a glebe-house, and the glebe contains 55¾ acres. The church, an ancient edifice with an embattled tower, was fully repaired in 1837, when the lower part of a handsome window, which had been bricked up, was opened, and a carved oaken screen restored to its pristine beauty, by John Adey Repton, Esq.; the font is of elegant workmanship, in the Norman style. An additional church, built by subscription, on a site given by Sir Henry and Lady Mildmay, was consecrated in July 1843; it is of Norman architecture, and dedicated to the Holy Trinity. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans. Dr. Goldsmith is said to have composed his Deserted Village whilst residing at a farmhouse nearly opposite the church. Joseph Strutt, the engraver and antiquary, was born here, in 1749.

From: 'Spilsby - Sproxton', A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 159-164. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=51292 Date accessed: 21 February 2011.

Springfield has been a civil parish of the Borough of Chelmsford, Essex, England since 1907.

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
Chelmsford 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.