Downham, Essex Genealogy

England   Essex   Essex Parishes



Parish History
Downham St Margaret 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.

DOWNHAM (St. Margaret), a parish, in the union of Billericay, hundred of Barstable, S. division of Essex, 4¼ miles (E. by N.) from Billericay; containing 254 inhabitants. It is bounded on the east by the hundred of Chelmsford, and on the west by the parish of Ramsdon-Bellhouse; and comprises 2234 acres, of which 71 are common or waste. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £12. 2. 8½.; net income, £402; patron, R. B. Berens, Esq. The church is a small ancient edifice, with a handsome embattled tower, and contains some interesting monuments. There are the remains of a castle, occupying a quadrangular area near the church, and supposed to be Roman.

From: 'Down, East - Drax', A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 84-88. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=50926&amp;amp;strquery=downham st margaret essex Date accessed: 04 February 2011.

Downham is a small village in Essex, England.For administrative purposes it is part of the Chelmsford District of Essex County Council. It is located approximately 11 km (7 miles) south of the county town of Chelmsford. The village is in the borough of Chelmsford and in the parliamentary constituency of Rayleigh. However, the closest two towns are Billericay, 5 km (3 miles) west-south west, and Wickford, 4 km (2 miles) southeast.

The village is close to Hanningfield Reservoir.

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.