Downham Genealogical Records
Downham Birth & Baptism Records
An index to births registered throughout England & Wales. Provides a reference to order copies of birth certificates from the national registrar of births, marriages and deaths – the General Register Office.
Baptism records from people born in and around Downham between 1559 and 2004. Lists the name of people's parent's, their occupations and abode.
Digital images of all baptism registers deposited at Essex Archives. Some registers are indexed by name.
Transcriptions of 206 parish baptism registers. They list children, their parents' names, residences, occupations and sometimes other details.
An index to around 250,000 baptism records, including name, date and place of baptism, parents names and father's occupation.
Downham Marriage & Divorce Records
An index to marriages registered throughout England & Wales. This is the only national marriage index that allows you to search by both spouse's names. Provides a reference to order copies of marriage certificates from the national registrar of births, marriages and deaths – the General Register Office.
The Banns register of St. Margaret, Downham gives details on those who intended to marry. They record an individual's real parish of residence if they moved to a parish temporarily for the purpose of a marriage.
Details on those who married at St. Margaret, Downham between 1559 and 1998. Information given usually includes abode and marital status. After April 1837 father's names and ages are recorded.
Images of original marriage licences from the Diocese of London, searchable by a name index. These records can provide details not listed in marriage registers, such as age, parents and occupations. They can also act as a substitute in the case of missing marriage registers.
Digital images of all marriage registers deposited at Essex Archives. Some registers are indexed by name.
Downham Death & Burial Records
An index to deaths registered throughout England & Wales. Provides a reference to order copies of death certificates from the national registrar of births, marriages and deaths – the General Register Office.
Burial registers record burials that occurred at St. Margaret, Downham. They are the primary source documenting deaths before 1837, though are useful to the present. Details given may include the deceased's name, residence, age, names of relations, cause of death and more.
Digital images of all burial registers deposited at Essex Archives. Some registers are indexed by name.
Transcriptions of 183 parish burial registers. They list the name of the deceased, the date of their death and/or burial and sometimes other details, such as age and occupation.
An index to around 192,000 burial records, including the name of the deceased, the date of burial and the place of burial.
Downham Census & Population Lists
An index to and digital images of records that detail 40 million civilians in England and Wales. Records list name, date of birth, address, marital status, occupation and details of trade or profession.
The 1911 census provides details on an individual's age, residence, place of birth, relations and occupation. FindMyPast's index allows searches on for multiple metrics including occupation and residence.
The 1901 census provides details on an individual's age, residence, place of birth, relations and occupation. FindMyPast's index allows searches on for multiple metrics including occupation and residence.
The 1891 census provides details on an individual's age, residence, place of birth, relations and occupation. FindMyPast's index allows searches on for multiple metrics including occupation and residence.
The 1881 census provides details on an individual's age, residence and occupation. FindMyPast's index allows for searches on multiple metrics including occupation and residence.
Newspapers Covering Downham
A local newspaper including news from the Chelmsford district, business notices, family announcements, legal & governmental proceedings, advertisements and more.
Regional news; notices of births, marriages and deaths; business notices; details on the proceedings of public institutions; adverts and a rich tapestry of other regional information from the Essex district. Every line of text from the newspaper can be searched and images of the original pages viewed.
A regional newspaper including news from the Essex district, business notices, family announcements, legal & governmental proceedings, advertisements and more.
A regional newspaper primarily covering Hertfordshire, but also Essex, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire and Middlesex. Its coverage was biased towards agricultural issues and affairs. It contained announcements of births, marriages and deaths.
A newspaper covering Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire. Around 50% of issues from 1814-1817. Original images, searchable by an OCR index.
Downham Wills & Probate Records
Searchable index and original images of over 12.5 million probates and administrations granted by civil registries. Entries usually include the testator's name, date of death, date of probate and registry. Names of relations may be given.
A searchable index connected to images surviving wills and probate documents for the Commissary Court of London. These records can help trace families back to the late 15th century.
A searchable index connected to images surviving wills and probate documents for the Consistory Court of London. These records can help trace families back to the late 15th century.
Transcriptions of early wills covering the City of London and its environs.
An index to probates granted by the Consistory Court of London. The index contains name of the deceased, type and date of grant and residence.
Downham Immigration & Travel Records
A name index connected to original images of passenger lists recording people travelling from Britain to destinations outside Europe. Records may detail a passenger's age or date of birth, residence, occupation, destination and more.
A full index of passenger lists for vessels arriving in the UK linked to original images. Does not include lists from vessels sailing from European ports. Early entries can be brief, but later entries may include dates of births, occupations, home addresses and more. Useful for documenting immigration.
An index to and images of documents recording over 1.65 million passengers who arrived in Victoria, Australia, including passengers whose voyage was paid for by others.
Details on over 600,000 non-British citizens arriving in England. Often includes age and professions. Useful for discerning the origin of immigrants.
Details on thousands of 17th century British immigrants to the U.S., detailing their origins and nature of their immigration.
Downham Military Records
A chronicle of the regiment's part in numerous military campaigns from around the world.
A list of names found on World War One monuments in Essex, with some service details.
A list of names found on World War Two monuments in Essex, with some service details.
A searchable list of over 100,000 British Army POWs. Records contains details on the captured, their military career and where they were held prisoner.
Details on around 165,000 men serving in the British Army, Navy and Air Force who were held as prisoners during WWII.
Downham Court & Legal Records
An index to over 1,800 cases brought before the court. For witnesses, age and residence is usually given. The cases cover such matters as defamation, marriage and tithes.
An index to 3,104 cases brought before the court. For witnesses, age and residence is usually given. The cases cover such matters as defamation, marriage and tithes.
An index to names and places mentioned in act books of the Province of Canterbury. It records various licences and conferments, such as marriage and physician licences.
Records of over 300,000 prisoners held by quarter sessions in England & Wales. Records may contain age, occupation, criminal history, offence and trial proceedings.
Over 175,000 records detailing prisoner's alleged offences and the outcome of their trial. Contains genealogical information.
Downham Taxation Records
An index to 11,000,000 parcels of land and property, connected to digital images of registers that record their owner, occupier, description, agricultural use, size and rateable value.
This vital collection details almost 1.2 million properties eligible for land tax. Records include the name of the landowner, occupier, amount assessed and sometimes the name and/or description of the property. It is a useful starting point for locating relevant estate records and establishing the succession of tenancies and freehold. Most records cover 1798, but some extend up to 1811.
An index linked to original images of registers recording apprenticeship indentures. Details are given on the trade and nature of apprenticeship. Many records list the parents of the apprentice.
A compilation of records from the Court of the Exchequer primarily dealing with taxes and land. These records are in Latin.
An index to wills and administrations that incurred a death duty tax. The index can be used to order documents that give a brief abstract of the will and details on the duty. It can be used as a make-shift probate index.
Downham Land & Property Records
An index to 11,000,000 parcels of land and property, connected to digital images of registers that record their owner, occupier, description, agricultural use, size and rateable value.
This vital collection details almost 1.2 million properties eligible for land tax. Records include the name of the landowner, occupier, amount assessed and sometimes the name and/or description of the property. It is a useful starting point for locating relevant estate records and establishing the succession of tenancies and freehold. Most records cover 1798, but some extend up to 1811.
Poll books record the names of voters and the direction of their vote. Until 1872 only landholders could vote, so not everyone will be listed. Useful for discerning an ancestor's political leanings and landholdings. The collection is supplemented with other records relating to the vote.
Abstracts of records detailing the estates and families of deceased tenants from the reigns of Henry III and Edward I.
A compilation of records from the Court of the Exchequer primarily dealing with taxes and land. These records are in Latin.
Downham Directories & Gazetteers
A comprehensive place-by-place gazetteer, listing key contemporary and historical facts. Each place has a list of residents and businesses. Contains details on local schools, churches, government and other institutions.
A comprehensive place-by-place gazetteer, listing key contemporary and historical facts. Each place has a list of residents and businesses. Contains details on local schools, churches, government and other institutions.
A comprehensive place-by-place gazetteer, listing key contemporary and historical facts. Each place has a list of residents and businesses. Contains details on local schools, churches, government and other institutions.
A comprehensive place-by-place gazetteer, listing key contemporary and historical facts. Each place has a list of residents and businesses. Contains details on local schools, churches, government and other institutions.
A comprehensive place-by-place gazetteer, listing key contemporary and historical facts. Each place has a list of residents and businesses. Contains details on local schools, churches, government and other institutions.
Downham Cemeteries
Details extracted from tombs, monuments and plaques at St. Margaret, Downham.
Transcriptions and illustrations of monuments erected remembrance of personages in Essex. Also contains pedigrees for historic families of the county.
Photographs and descriptions of Essex's most illustrious church monuments, often featuring effigies, medieval inscriptions and heraldic devices.
An index to vital details engraved on over 170,000 gravestones and other monuments across the county of Essex.
Images of millions of pages from cemetery and crematoria registers, photographs of memorials, cemetery plans and more. Records can be search by a name index.
Downham Obituaries
The UKs largest repository of obituaries, containing millions of searchable notices.
A growing collection currently containing over 425,000 abstracts of obituaries with reference to the location of the full obituary.
A collection of 364 obituaries of Quakers from the British Isles. The volume was published in 1849 and includes obituaries of those who died in late 1847 through 1848.
This transcribed and searchable work by Sir William Musgrave contains 10,000s of brief obituaries. The work is a reference point for other works containing information on an individual.
A text index and digital images of all editions of a journal containing medical articles and obituaries of medical practitioners.
Downham Histories & Books
A detailed history of the county's hundreds, parishes and religious houses.
A traveller's guide to four Southern counties.
Photographs and images of churches in Essex.
Photographs of the interiors and exteriors of Essex churches. Also contains some architectural information.
A short list of words and phrases peculiar to the two counties.
Downham School & Education Records
A name index connected to digital images of registers recording millions of children educated in schools operated by the National Society for Promoting Religious Education. Records contain a variety of information including genealogical details, education history, illnesses, exam result, fathers occupation and more.
A name index linked to original images of registers recording the education and careers of teachers in England & Wales.
A name index linked to original images of short biographies for over 120,000 Oxford University students. This is a particularly useful source for tracing the ancestry of the landed gentry.
A transcript of a vast scholarly work briefly chronicling the heritage, education and careers of over 150,000 Cambridge University students. This is a particularly useful source for tracing the ancestry of the landed gentry.
A searchable database containing over 90,000 note-form biographies for students of Cambridge University.
Downham Occupation & Business Records
An introduction to smuggling in on the east coast of England, with details of the act in various regions.
Details of the wages to be expected for various tradesmen and labourers.
An introduction to smuggling on the east coast of England, with details of the act in various regions.
Histories of Essex pubs, with photographs and lists of owners or operators.
Short histories of former public houses, with photographs and lists of owners or operators.
Pedigrees & Family Trees Covering Downham
Transcriptions and illustrations of monuments erected remembrance of personages in Essex. Also contains pedigrees for historic families of the county.
A detailed history of the county's hundreds, parishes and religious houses.
Extensive and impeccably sourced genealogies for British, Irish & Manx royalty and nobility. Scroll down to 'British Isles' for relevant sections.
A searchable database of linked genealogies compiled from thousands of reputable and not-so-reputable sources. Contains many details on European gentry & nobility, but covers many countries outside Europe and people from all walks of life.
A searchable book, listing pedigrees of titled families and biographies of their members.
Downham Royalty, Nobility & Heraldry Records
A detailed history of the county's hundreds, parishes and religious houses.
Five collections of pedigrees based on 16th and 17th century genealogical manuscripts. These works record families who had a right to bear coat of arms, essentially the gentry.
Photographs and descriptions of Essex's most illustrious church monuments, often featuring effigies, medieval inscriptions and heraldic devices.
Extensive and impeccably sourced genealogies for British, Irish & Manx royalty and nobility. Scroll down to 'British Isles' for relevant sections.
A searchable database of linked genealogies compiled from thousands of reputable and not-so-reputable sources. Contains many details on European gentry & nobility, but covers many countries outside Europe and people from all walks of life.
Downham Church Records
The primary source of documentation for baptisms, marriages and burials before 1837, though useful to the present also.
An index to over 1,800 cases brought before the court. For witnesses, age and residence is usually given. The cases cover such matters as defamation, marriage and tithes.
Digital images of all parish registers deposited at Essex Archives. Some registers are indexed by name.
Transcriptions of registers that record baptisms, which typically occur shortly after birth; marriages and burials. They can help establish links between individuals back to the 16th century.
Photographs of the interiors and exteriors of Essex churches. Also contains some architectural information.
Biographical Directories Covering Downham
A searchable book, listing pedigrees of titled families and biographies of their members.
A book containing genealogies and biographies of Britain's titled families.
A book containing genealogies and biographies of Britain's titled families.
Brief biographies of Anglican clergy in the UK.
A directory containing lengthy biographies of noted British figures. The work took over two decades to compile. Biographies can be searched by name and are linked to images of the original publication.
Downham Maps
A collection of maps plotting the counties of Essex and Suffolk, and some of their settlements.
Digital images of maps covering the county.
Detailed maps covering much of the UK. They depict forests, mountains, larger farms, roads, railroads, towns, and more.
Maps showing settlements, features and some buildings in mainland Britain.
An index to 11,000,000 parcels of land and property, connected to digital images of registers that record their owner, occupier, description, agricultural use, size and rateable value.
Downham Reference Works
A database of names of fields, roads, inns, houses, farms, manors, places, rivers, streams, woods, etc, and names of owners, tenants, landlords, parties to agreements etc, recorded from historic documents.
A beginner’s guide to researching ancestry in England.
Compiled in 1831, this book details the coverage and condition of parish registers in England & Wales.
A comprehensive guide to researching the history of buildings in the British Isles.
A service that provides advanced and custom surname maps for the British Isles and the US.
Civil & Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction
Historical Description
DOWNHAM is a hilly parish with a scattered population, 7 miles north from Pitsea station on the London, Tilbury and Southend railway, 2 miles north-west from Wickford station on the Southend branch of the Great Eastern railway, and 10 east from Brentwood: it was anciently a soke or liberty and is in the Mid division of the county, Barnstaple hundred, Brentwood petty sessional division and county court district, Billericay union, rural deanery of Danbury, archdeaconry of Essex and diocese of St. Albans. The church of St. Margaret, pleasantly situated on a hill, is a building of stone, in the Early English style, consisting of chancel and nave, south porch and an embattled western tower of brick, of the 15th century, containing 4 bells: the church, with the exception of the tower, was rebuilt in 1871, when a stained east window was erected by the daughters of the Rev. Edward Charles Evans M.A. rector 1867—81, and there are two other stained windows to the Bewick family and to the Rev. W. Hugo Lukin, rector 1881—94: the church is seated throughout with oak and has a carved stone pulpit: there are monuments to the family of De Beauvoir and others to Sir Henry Tyrrell kt. and Thomasine, his wife, ob. 1588, and Joyce, wife of John Tyrrell esq. ob. 1594; one formerly existing to Wingfield Alslow, ob. 1584, has now disappeared, but there are others to Sir William Andrews bart. of Denton, ob. 15 Aug. 1684; Benjamin Disbrowe esq. ob. 1707, and Sarah his wife, ob. 1692, and a monument of black marble to Sir Thomas Raymond kt. justice of the King’s Bench, ob. 14 July, 1683: the church affords 140 sittings. The register dates from the year 1558. The living is a rectory, net yearly value £300, with residence and 42 acres of glebe, in the gift of Viscount Midleton and others, and held since 1895 by the Rev. Charles Edward Stuart Ratcliffe M.A. of St. John’s College, Cambridge. Fremnells, an Elizabethan mansion: of brick, is now the property of Mr. Thomas Worrell Blyth, but is occupied by his son, Mr. Thomas Blyth. Allen Stallibrass esq. of Eastwood Bury, Rochford, is lord of the manor and principal landowner. The soil is heavy; subsoil, loamy. The chief crops are wheat, barley, beans and oats. The area is 2,199 acres of land and 6 of water; rateable value, £2,510; in 1901 the population was 258 in the civil and 235 in the ecclesiastical, parish.
By Local Government Board Order, 21,887, dated March 25, 1889, a detached part of Downham was transferred to Ramsden Bellhouse, and a part of Runwell added to Downham by Order 22,422, of the same date.
National School (mixed), for 50 children; average attendance, 25.
Most Common Surnames in Downham
| Rank | Surname | Incidence | Frequency | Percent of Parent | Rank in Barstable Hundred |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Miles | 17 | 1:15 | 6.42% | 367 |
| 2 | Smith | 11 | 1:22 | 0.10% | 1 |
| 2 | Hart | 11 | 1:22 | 1.26% | 79 |
| 4 | Haris | 10 | 1:25 | 52.63% | 3,683 |
| 5 | Mason | 9 | 1:27 | 0.95% | 69 |
| 5 | Dutton | 9 | 1:27 | 13.04% | 1,397 |
| 5 | Enguel | 9 | 1:27 | 100.00% | 6,506 |
| 8 | Rayner | 8 | 1:31 | 0.93% | 81 |
| 8 | Withams | 8 | 1:31 | 22.22% | 2,289 |
| 10 | Burton | 7 | 1:35 | 0.85% | 89 |
| 11 | Coleman | 6 | 1:41 | 1.98% | 319 |
| 11 | Humphreys | 6 | 1:41 | 2.03% | 329 |
| 11 | Tyler | 6 | 1:41 | 0.81% | 101 |
| 11 | Low | 6 | 1:41 | 3.28% | 544 |
| 11 | English | 6 | 1:41 | 2.09% | 341 |
| 11 | Hutley | 6 | 1:41 | 2.99% | 480 |
| 17 | Clark | 5 | 1:49 | 0.14% | 3 |
| 17 | Blyth | 5 | 1:49 | 2.20% | 434 |
| 17 | Cheek | 5 | 1:49 | 2.65% | 520 |
| 17 | Juniper | 5 | 1:49 | 2.65% | 520 |
| 21 | Green | 4 | 1:62 | 0.15% | 6 |
| 21 | Harris | 4 | 1:62 | 0.23% | 18 |
| 21 | Britton | 4 | 1:62 | 1.21% | 289 |
| 21 | Garland | 4 | 1:62 | 5.41% | 1,319 |
| 21 | Sturgeon | 4 | 1:62 | 7.69% | 1,720 |
| 21 | Dines | 4 | 1:62 | 1.38% | 339 |
| 21 | Pearl | 4 | 1:62 | 5.41% | 1,319 |
| 28 | Cox | 3 | 1:82 | 0.28% | 53 |
| 28 | Hardy | 3 | 1:82 | 0.47% | 125 |
| 28 | Norman | 3 | 1:82 | 0.61% | 173 |
| 28 | Vaughan | 3 | 1:82 | 3.19% | 1,079 |
| 28 | Drake | 3 | 1:82 | 0.78% | 238 |
| 28 | Piper | 3 | 1:82 | 1.32% | 431 |
| 28 | Worricker | 3 | 1:82 | 15.79% | 3,683 |
| 35 | King | 2 | 1:124 | 0.08% | 8 |
| 35 | Parker | 2 | 1:124 | 0.20% | 61 |
| 35 | Rogers | 2 | 1:124 | 0.20% | 62 |
| 35 | West | 2 | 1:124 | 0.29% | 110 |
| 35 | Watts | 2 | 1:124 | 0.25% | 91 |
| 35 | Hawkins | 2 | 1:124 | 0.34% | 138 |
| 35 | Hull | 2 | 1:124 | 0.72% | 352 |
| 35 | Buxton | 2 | 1:124 | 2.99% | 1,433 |
| 35 | Cock | 2 | 1:124 | 1.56% | 805 |
| 35 | Cresswell | 2 | 1:124 | 1.55% | 802 |
| 45 | Walker | 1 | 1:247 | 0.11% | 72 |
| 45 | Scott | 1 | 1:247 | 0.09% | 41 |
| 45 | Barker | 1 | 1:247 | 0.06% | 22 |
| 45 | Williamson | 1 | 1:247 | 0.52% | 509 |
| 45 | Bradley | 1 | 1:247 | 0.33% | 315 |
| 45 | Fuller | 1 | 1:247 | 0.15% | 115 |
| 45 | Kirby | 1 | 1:247 | 0.25% | 230 |
| 45 | Hills | 1 | 1:247 | 0.13% | 100 |
| 45 | Osborn | 1 | 1:247 | 0.23% | 199 |
| 45 | Browning | 1 | 1:247 | 0.79% | 820 |
| 45 | Bradford | 1 | 1:247 | 0.58% | 575 |
| 45 | Neville | 1 | 1:247 | 0.49% | 470 |
| 45 | Brittain | 1 | 1:247 | 0.90% | 939 |
| 45 | Claydon | 1 | 1:247 | 0.20% | 166 |
| 45 | Wyman | 1 | 1:247 | 6.25% | 4,181 |
| 45 | Woolmer | 1 | 1:247 | 2.27% | 1,955 |
| 45 | Attridge | 1 | 1:247 | 0.52% | 516 |
| 45 | Cockerell | 1 | 1:247 | 4.76% | 3,434 |
| 45 | Cottis | 1 | 1:247 | 0.54% | 533 |
| 45 | Tween | 1 | 1:247 | 0.89% | 928 |
| 45 | Dorking | 1 | 1:247 | 2.38% | 2,024 |