Belchamp Otten, Essex Genealogy

England   Essex   Essex Parishes

Parish History
BELCHAMP-OTTON (St. Ethelbert and All Saints), a parish, in the union of Sudbury, hundred of Hinckford, N. division of Essex, 5¼ miles (N. by E.) from Castle-Hedingham; containing 389 inhabitants. This place derives the adjunct to its name from an ancient possessor called Otton, or Otho, who held it in the reign of Henry II., and whose descendant, Otho Fitz-William, was sheriff of Essex and Hertfordshire for several successive years. The parish contains some of the highest land in the county, and comprises about 1600 acres, the soil of which is of a clayey quality. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £12, and in the gift of the Rev. E. H. Dawson: the appropriate tithes belonging to the rector of Ovington have been commuted for £76. 15., and the incumbent's for £443. 5.; there are 31 acres of glebe, of which 30 are annexed to Ovington. The church, a small edifice, was repaired in 1800, when a handsome tower was erected on the site of part of a more ancient structure of Norman character.

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
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

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.

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.