Woodham Ferrers, Essex Genealogy

England   Essex   Essex Parishes



Parish History
Woodham Ferrers St Mary is an Ancient Parish in Essex. The village name is often shortened to Woodham by those in the area. The village is sometimes erroneously referred to as North Woodham due to its geographical relationship with South Woodham Ferrers

St Mary's Church, situated at the south end of the village, was recorded in the Domesday Book in 1066.

Originally a hermitage during the reign of Henry II the name Woodham was adopted in 1175 when it became a priory, including 60 acres (240,000 m2) of forest stretching towards Danbury, Essex.

There is a residence in the village that was once owned by the Bishop of York and was attacked during the Peasants' Revolt in 1381.

At the turn of the 16th century the convent was used as a hospital until being returned to the church in 1540.

Due to the proximity of both the Marconi Company and North Weald Airfield, the village was in the flight path for a number of air-raids during World War II; however it was not a direct target itself.

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.

WOODHAM-FERRIS (St. Mary), a parish, in the union and hundred of Chelmsford, S. division of Essex, 4½ miles (S. S. E.) from Danbury; containing, with part of the hamlet of Bicknacre, 895 inhabitants. This parish, which is bounded on the south by the river Crouch, derived its name from its situation in a thicklywooded district, and the adjunct to its name from the noble family of Ferrers, to whom the lands chiefly belonged at the time of the Norman survey. It comprises 3725 acres, of which 40 are common or waste. About a mile from the church is Edwin Hall, a handsome mansion erected by Edwin Sandys, Archbishop of York. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £28. 13. 4., and in the gift of Sir B. W. Bridges, Bart.: the tithes have been commuted for £950: the glebe consists of 3½ acres. The church is an ancient edifice, with a brick tower, and contains an elegant monument to the memory of Cecilia, wife of the archbishop. At Bicknacre was a hermitage, which was superseded by a priory of Black canons founded and endowed by Maurice FitzJeffrey, in consideration of certain sums of money due from him to Henry II.; it was dedicated to St. John the Baptist, and being almost deserted in the time of Henry VII., was then annexed to St. Mary's Spital, London.

From: Samuel A. Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 654-657. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=51425 Date accessed: 22 February 2011.

The village and civil parish are within Chelmsford borough and district of Essex County Council.

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
Chelmsford 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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