Archive Assistant Desmond Crone highlights examples of the types of material that you might find in the Essex Record Office collections when researching your property. Some are from searches recently carried out for customers of our Search Service.
Maps
Modern copies of maps
Estate maps
Chapman and André’s Map of the County of Essex 1777
We hold copies of the 1777 Map of Essex by John Chapman and Peter André in the Searchroom and it is also available online here.
Enclosure maps
Compared to other counties Essex has rather fewer statutory enclosure awards having been largely enclosed from an early date. The exception are parishes in the north-west and extreme west of the county, so there are enclosure awards for about 20 parishes dating from 1799 through to 1865. The other awards made between 1770 and 1895 deal with various waste lands and heaths. Where an enclosure map exists it may, if earlier in date than the tithe maps of c.1837-1850, be the oldest complete map of a parish.
Tithe maps and apportionments c.1837-1850
These are a product of the 1836 Tithe Commutation Act, which required the payment of tithes to be changed from being paid in kind to being paid in money. The map and the accompanying schedule known as the apportionment give the names of all owners and occupiers of land in the parish so that tithe payments could be worked out.
Many of the apportionments have been transcribed as part of the Essex Society for Archaeology and History’s Essex Place-Names project.
Ordnance Survey maps
For example the First and Second editions of the 25” to the mile series (1862-1896) plus the New Series revisions (1913-1947), the nineteenth and twentieth century 6” series, and for the major settlements the 120” series.
The National Library of Scotland host an extensive collection of Ordnance Survey (and other) maps on their website. There are gaps in their collection of First edition 25” to the mile maps.
Sale particulars
Compiled by estate agents to support the marketing of a property, they typically include descriptions, photographs and maps.
Deeds
These bundles can include a variety of document types in addition to conveyances, such as wills and mortgages; they are a rich source of names of people, their occupations and parish of residence, as well as the property details.
Electoral Registers
Registration was introduced following the Reform Act of 1832. Registers have been produced annually since then, with the exceptions of the years 1916, 1917 and 1940-44. Note that until 1928 the number of people eligible to vote in elections was restricted. Before 1867 in urban areas, and before 1884 in rural areas most men could not vote, and no women could vote in parliamentary elections before 1918.
Rate Books
These list the rate payers for a local authority, and we can use them to confirm the name of the rate payer, the rateable value of the property and the amounts due in general and special rates and when paid.
Building Plans
Essex Record Office hold hundreds of thousands of building plans from the mid-19th century to the mid-20th century. There are large collections of the documentation filed with local authorities such as Southend-on-Sea and Canvey Island, as well collections from architects’ offices, such as the Chancellor collection.
Local government building plans: each application will usually include an application form and at least one plan, and will have information about the owner, the building and its location. Often the plans will include elevations, sections, a floor plan and a block or key plan showing the site from above and including details about nearby properties and roads. Sometimes the packets will include correspondence and certificates about inspections and the completion of construction.
An extensive architectural collection came to the Record Office from the practice of Frederic Chancellor (1825-1918). There are plans for hundreds of public and private buildings, including many of Essex’s churches. The project to clean, conserve and make these thousands of plans accessible began in 2014 and is now nearing completion (catalogue reference D/F 8).
Innkeeper Licences
Where the property has in the past been a licenced premises the Record Office holds details of innkeepers from 1580 until fairly recently, with a gap between 1830 and 1870 when no licences were issued (with the exception of some beer shop licences issued 1840-48).
From 1870 we hold records from the petty sessions in each of the Hundreds.
Look out for next month’s blog post exploring a case study of one of our house history searches.