Pitsea, Essex Genealogy

England   Essex   Essex Parishes



Parish History
Pitsea was an Ancient Parish in Essex. The 13th century church of St. Michael, situated on Pitsea Mount. The church fell into ruin and only the main tower now survives. The dominant position of the building over the local area has seen the church used as a station for a mobile telephone aerial. The church is colloquially known as the Church on the Hill, Pitsea Mount, and even Snob Hill. During the creation of the new town of Basildon in the late 1940s and early 1950s, "Pitsea" and "Vange" were considered as for the name for the new town. Because Basildon village was central to the district, the town was named "Basildon". Before the new town regeneration, Pitsea and Vange were run down little hamlets in dire need of investment. Basildon, on the other hand, was a quaint little village with a church (which still stands today as Holy Cross church) and a few cottages.

PITSEA (St. Michael), a parish, in the union of Billericay, hundred of Barstable, S. division of Essex, 4½ miles (W. S. W.) from Rayleigh; containing 304 inhabitants. It is situated on Pitsey creek, an arm of the river Thames, which winds round its southwestern extremity, forming a small peninsula. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £16. 13. 4., and in the joint patronage of the Dawnay family, and J. Heathcote, Esq.; net income, £313. The church, which occupies a commanding eminence, is an ancient edifice, consisting of a nave and chancel, with a tower of stone surmounted by a shingled spire.

From: Samuel A. Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 573-576. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=51215&amp;amp;strquery=pitsea Date accessed: 03 February 2011.

There is little known history about Pitsea but its earliest recorded name is Piceseia which was in 1086 and probably recorded as this in the Doomsday Book. This however has changed over the years to many different names including: Pichesey(e), Pikeseye, Pithesey, Petchesey(e), Pisseye, Pitchesey, Pytsay, Pittessey, Pytchey and finally to what it is now Pitsea. It is thought however that all the names are derived from the meaning of Pics' Island, which refers to the area now known as Pitsea Mount.

Chalvedon, which is part of Pitsea has also been known under different guises. In its earliest form it was known as Chauendona meaning Calves Hill this was first recorded in 1119. Other names include: Chaluedona, Chaluedene, Calueden and Callwedone before it ended up being Chalvedon.

During the building of the new town Chalvedon became a housing estate in the west of Pitsea and the local secondary school has taken that name, whereas Pitsea got swallowed up by Basildon New Town, although many residents of Pitsea still refer to it as a town in its own right.

Pitsea is a small town in the east of the Basildon district of south Essex, England. It comprises five sub districts: Eversley, Northlands Park Neighbourhood (Previously known as Felmores), Chalvedon, Pitsea Mount and Burnt Mills. Vange is located to the west of Pitsea, Bowers Gifford and North Benfleet to the east and Nevendon to the north.

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
Billericay 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.