Woodham Walter, Essex Genealogy

England   Essex   Essex Parishes



Parish History
Woodham Walter St Michael is an Ancient parish in the county of Essex.

The village was first recorded as "Wudeham" in c. 875. The name is derived from the old English words "wudu" (wood in modern English) and "ham" (home, or homestead). The modern name may derive from the Fitzwalter family who owned a moated manor house in the village for many generations. The house was demolished in the 17th century by William Fytch.

There is evidence of earlier settlement. A hoard of silver coins was found in the village, dated to c. 700 [3]. At Oak Farm in 1991 three gold and bronze torcs were discovered. They have been dated to c. 1000 BC.

The Domesday Book entry for Woodham Walter lists a population of 18.

The parish church is St Michael's. Thomas, Earl of Sussex, obtained a licence from Elizabeth I on 26 June 1562 to build the church and it was consecrated on 30 April 1564. It is constructued of red brick.

Woodham Walter is a village on the Dengie peninsula about three miles west of Maldon in Essex. The village is for local government purposes part of the Wickham Bishops and Woodham ward of the Maldon district.

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 Parish registers Bishop'stranscripts Monumental Inscriptions

Essex Online Parish Clerks (OPC)

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
Contributor: Add any relevant sites that aren’t mentioned above.