Southend St John the Baptist, Essex Genealogy

England   Essex

Parish History
.Southend St John the Baptist is an Ecclesiastical Parish in the county of Essex, created in 1842 from Prittlewell,_Essex Ancient Parish.

SOUTHEND, a hamlet, in the parish of Prittlewell, union and hundred of Rochford, S. division of Essex, 1¾ mile (S. S. E.) from the village of Prittlewell, and 42 miles (E.) from London. This place is situated at the mouth of the Thames, directly opposite the river Medway, and at the southern extremity of the county, from which last circumstance it probably derives its name. Though formerly an inconsiderable hamlet, consisting only of a few fishermen's huts, it has within the last century grown into some repute for sea-bathing, and, being the nearest watering-place to London, is rising into importance. It comprises the lower or old town, and the upper or new town; the former on the beach, and the latter on an eminence fronting the sea or river. The old village consists principally of an irregular line of houses facing the water; some handsome dwellings have been lately added, and a parade formed and partly inclosed. Nearly in the centre is a commodious inn, and there are two others on a smaller scale; at the eastern extremity is a small theatre, which is opened every season, and on the beach are several bathing-machines. The new town, which is the more fashionable residence, is superior both in its situation and in the character of its buildings. It consists chiefly of the terrace, having a fine promenade; adjoining which is an hotel, containing several suites of apartments, a lofty assembly-room, and rooms for cards and refreshments. The library, a neat building in the later English style, has a good reading-room, and adjoining it is a billiard-room. In front of the terrace, and extending the whole length, is a shrubbery tastefully laid out in walks commanding a fine view of the sea; and within this inclosure are some baths, in the cottage style. In the vicinity are many pleasant walks and rides, the district abounding with richly-diversified scenery. The pier of frame-work was extended in 1845, and is now 1¼ mile in length. A district church has been lately built, of which the patronage is vested in Trustees; and there is a place of worship for Independents.

Southend-on-Sea is a unitary authority area, town, and seaside resort in Essex, England. The district has Borough status, and comprises the towns of Chalkwell, Eastwood, Leigh-on-Sea, North Shoebury, Prittlewell, Shoeburyness, Southchurch, Thorpe Bay, and Westcliff-on-Sea. The district is situated within the Thames Gateway on the north side of the Thames estuary 40 miles (64 km) east of central London. It is bordered to the north by Rochford and to the west by Castle Point.

Contributor please create separate and linked pages for the churches and place of worship for Southend-on-Sea.

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

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.

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.