Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire Genealogy

England   Hertfordshire   Hertfordshire Parishes

Parish History
HODDESDON, a market-town and chapelry, partly in the parish of Great Amwell, but chiefly in that of Broxburn, union of Ware, hundred and county of Hertford, 4¼ miles (S. E.) from Hertford, and 17 (N. by E.) from London; containing 1743 inhabitants. The name of this place is supposed to be derived from its having been the abode of Hodo or Oddo, a Danish chief; or from a tumulus, or barrow, raised here to his memory. The town consists principally of one street, extending along the road from London to Ware and Hertford, and is supplied with water from a conduit in the marketplace, erected by Sir Marmaduke Rawdon in the seventeenth century. A considerable quantity of malt is made, much of which is conveyed to London by means of the river Lea; and there are a large brewery and two extensive flour-mills. The railway from London to Cambridge passes close to Hoddesdon. The market, now nearly disused, is on Tuesday; and a fair is held on the 29th of June. In the centre of the town is an ancient market-house, built of wood, and supported on pillars and arches ornamented with curious carving. The chapelry comprises by measurement 2582 acres of land, all in good cultivation with the exception of 198 acres of common or waste. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £150; patrons, alternately, the Vicars of Broxburn and Great Amwell. The site of the old chapel, dedicated to St. Catherine, is marked by a turret, which serves as a clock-house, and which, having become ruinous, was rebuilt about 1730. The present chapel, or district church, is a handsome brick edifice, standing in the parish of Amwell, but subject to the vicarage of Broxburn; and contains 400 free sittings. There are places of worship for the Society of Friends and Independents.

From: Lewis, Samuel A., A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848)

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 Hertfordshire 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
 * Vision of Britain

Web sites
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