Southend St John the Baptist, Essex Genealogy

England   Essex   Essex Parishes

Parish History
Southend St John the Baptist was created a district chapelry in 1842 from, and lying within the boundaries of Prittlewell, Essex Ancient Parish. St Johns was the first Parish Church of the town of Southend-on-Sea. It played an important role in the life of the town. Famous local dignitaries who worshipped here include James Heygate, major landowner of early Southend and pillar of the old Local Board; James Brightwell, the town's third mayor and churchwarden for 35 years until 1925; Robert Jones Southend's greatest benefactor (the Jones Memorial Recreation Ground, Prittlewell Priory and Park and the Victory Sports Ground are amongst his gifts) and Cecil Jones, Robert's son, Scoutmaster and benefactor, of whom it is said that "having given most of his amassed wealth away, he left little more than a legacy of incredible caring and compassion for others" The local school commemorates his name and life.

The Churchyard was used for burials between 1870 and 1898, after which burials were allowed only in reserved spaces. At this time the Borough Council allocated land for the cemetery at Sutton Road which is still used for burials. Members of the Nelson family, probably related to the famous Admiral, are buried here, as is Thomas Dowsett, the town's first Major. St Johns has a long-standing link with the RNLI and the first coxswain of Southend lifeboat was buried here in 1910. Writers such as Robert Buchanan, Harriet Jay and Warwick Deeping are also buried or remembered in the churchyard.

Before widespread State provision of education there was a St John's School. It was on a site near the present Castle Hotel, on Eastern Esplanade. It opened in 1855 and finally closed in July 1915. New and larger schools were opening in the town. However, St John's support continued in the shape of a Foundation, awarding grants to local children to pay for their schooling. Following the Second World War full state provision for education began and the Foundation was wound up in 1951.

St John's has several times being threatened with closure. A Bishops Commission of 1978 recommended closure of several Southend churches. Eventually St Erkenwald's (on the junction of York Rd and Southchurch Ave) was closed and that building was demolished in the late 1990's. However, four churches: St Albans, Westcliff, St Marks, Clifftown; All Saints, Queensway and St John's united in the 1970's to form the parish of Southend. SOUTHEND, a hamlet, in the parish of Prittlewell, union and hundred of Rochford, S. division of Essex, 1¾ mile (S. S. E.) from the village of Prittlewell, and 42 miles (E.) from London. This place is situated at the mouth of the Thames, directly opposite the river Medway, and at the southern extremity of the county, from which last circumstance it probably derives its name. Though formerly an inconsiderable hamlet, consisting only of a few fishermen's huts, it has within the last century grown into some repute for sea-bathing, and, being the nearest watering-place to London, is rising into importance. It comprises the lower or old town, and the upper or new town; the former on the beach, and the latter on an eminence fronting the sea or river. The old village consists principally of an irregular line of houses facing the water; some handsome dwellings have been lately added, and a parade formed and partly inclosed. Nearly in the centre is a commodious inn, and there are two others on a smaller scale; at the eastern extremity is a small theatre, which is opened every season, and on the beach are several bathing-machines. The new town, which is the more fashionable residence, is superior both in its situation and in the character of its buildings. It consists chiefly of the terrace, having a fine promenade; adjoining which is an hotel, containing several suites of apartments, a lofty assembly-room, and rooms for cards and refreshments. The library, a neat building in the later English style, has a good reading-room, and adjoining it is a billiard-room. In front of the terrace, and extending the whole length, is a shrubbery tastefully laid out in walks commanding a fine view of the sea; and within this inclosure are some baths, in the cottage style. In the vicinity are many pleasant walks and rides, the district abounding with richly-diversified scenery. The pier of frame-work was extended in 1845, and is now 1¼ mile in length. A district church has been lately built, of which the patronage is vested in Trustees; and there is a place of worship for Independents.

A Topographical Dictionary of England by Samuel Lewis 1848 Pages 139-149 Citation 'Soughton - Southend', A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 139-149. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=51288&amp;strquery=southchurch Date accessed: 02 February 2011.

Southend-on-Sea is a unitary authority area, town, and seaside resort in Essex, England. The district has Borough status, and comprises the towns of Chalkwell, Eastwood, Leigh-on-Sea, North Shoebury, Prittlewell, Shoeburyness, Southchurch, Thorpe Bay, and Westcliff-on-Sea. The district is situated within the Thames Gateway on the north side of the Thames estuary 40 miles (64 km) east of central London. It is bordered to the north by Rochford and to the west by Castle Point.

Contributor please create separate and linked pages for the churches and place of worship for Southend-on-Sea.

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 See also Prittlewell, Essex for earlier registers and images for All Saints from 1878, St Erkenwald from 1910, Southend Hospital, Cliff Town Congregational Church from 1831, Michael Tomlin Memorial United Methodist Church, Park Road Wesleyan Methodist Church, Southend Wesleyan Methodist Circuit, St. Francis and St. John Bosco (mission to All Saints) St. Mark Trinity Reformed Episcopal Church Warrior Square (later Bournemouth Park) Congregational Church York Road Wesleyan Methodist Church

Westcliff on Sea Essex Online Parish Clerks OPC)

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
Rochford 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.