Chrishall, Essex Genealogy

England   Essex   Essex Parishes



Parish History
Chrishall Holy Trinity is an Ancient Parish in Essex.

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.

The village has been home to a church for over a thousand years. Prior to the Norman invasion a small church dedicated to the Virgin Mary was situated on the site of the present church.

The current church, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, was begun in the 12th century. It consists of a nave and aisles, a chancel, and a stone tower crowned by a spire, and containing four bells. It was appropriated, at an early period, to Westminster Abbey.

The church contains a number of brasses, including a notable one in memory of Sir John de la Pole and his wife, dating from 1380 CHRISHALL (Holy Trinity), a parish, in the union of Saffron-Walden, hundred of Uttlesford, N. division of Essex, 7 miles (E.) from Royston; containing 521 inhabitants. It comprises 2767a. 10p., of which the surface is diversified, and the higher lands are pleasantly situated. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £13; net income, £200; patron, the Bishop of London; appropriators, the Dean and Chapter of Westminster. The tithes were commuted for land and a money payment in 1807. The church is a handsome structure, with a square embattled tower surmounted by a spire.

From: 'Chorlton - Churchdown', A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 607-612. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=50877&amp;amp;strquery=chrishall Date accessed: 14 February 2011.

Chrishall (pronounced krishul or krishawl) is a small village in the English county of Essex. It is located 20 kilometres (12 mi) south of Cambridge and lies equidistant [10 kilometres (6 mi)] between the two medieval market towns of Saffron Walden and Royston. Although in Essex, Chrishall lies close to its borders with Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire and has a 'Hertfordshire' postcode (SG8).

The village was listed in the Domesday Book as Cristeshalla, or "nook of land dedicated to Christ". It is one of only two English settlements whose name contains the word "Christ".

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
Saffron Walden 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.