Burnham on Crouch, Essex Genealogy

England   Essex   Essex Parishes



Parish History
Burnham on Crouch St Mary is an Ancient Parish in the county of Essex. Other places in the parish include: Ostend.

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.

Burnham-on-Crouch is a town which for local government purposes is in the Maldon district of Essex in the East of England. It lies on the north bank of the River Crouch.

BURNHAM (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Maldon, hundred of Dengie, S. division of Essex, 12 miles (S. E.) from Maldon; containing 1735 inhabitants. It takes its name from a small stream running near the church, and comprises 4277a. 3r. 16p. The village is situated on the northern bank of the river Crouch, near its estuary, and has a commodious quay, to which vessels of 250 tons' burthen can come up: there are vessels of 1000 tons' aggregate burthen belonging to Burnham, employing 100 seamen. The oysterbeds, both in the river and on the coast, are extremely productive; they are held under lease from Lady St. John Mildmay by a company, and in addition to the home consumption, a considerable quantity of oysters is exported to Holland and Belgium: about 300 persons are engaged in the fishery. The living is a vicarage, endowed with a portion of the rectorial tithes, and valued in the king's books at £22. 13. 4., with a net income of £558: it is in the patronage of Lady St. John Mildmay, to whom also the impropriation belongs. The church, built in 1525, stands about a mile from the village, on an elevated site; its altar-piece is embellished with a good painting of the Lord's Supper, and the pulpit and font are elaborately carved. Divine service is also performed in a national schoolroom, by license of the bishop; the school is endowed with about £80 per annum. There is a place of worship for Baptists. Several Roman coins, fragments of ancient masonry, and urns containing burnt ashes, have been found on a farm at the edge of the marsh. Burnham formerly conferred the inferior title of Baron on the Fitzwalter family.

From: Lewis, Samuel A., A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848). URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=50845 Date accessed: 13 September 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
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
Maldon 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
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