Welcome to History House
From the haunting scenery of the salt marshes to its fields and picturesque villages, and from the River Thames to Britian's first capital and oldest recorded town, Essex has a fascinating past. Dip into the history of its towns, villages, parishes and its people with History House.
Photo: Colchester Castle
There are now 2,648 pages on the website - and more to comes.
Feature Articles
Articles on the history of Essex and tips on researching your ancestors
Parish Registers at the Essex Record Office.
Digital images of some Parish Registers are now available online at the Essex Record Office. >>more
Essex on the map.
Using maps to discover the history of Essex and its people. >>more
Newspaper archives.
A look at newspaper archives and how they can help you research your ancestors. >>more
More Feature Articles
My Essex Ancestors
Tell the story of your Essex Ancestors
Are your ancestors from Essex? Why not tell us their story. When were they here? Who were they? What they did they do? Where did they go? Have you an interesting story to tell about them?
Go to our A to Z directory, click on the location where they lived, and follow the My Ancestors link.
Recent Postings:
Marks Tey
Chipping Ongar
Thorpe-le-Soken
Great Coggeshall
Thundersley
Recommended Books
Looking for books on Essex? Amazon.co.uk
have a wide selection of books on Essex History, British History, Genealogy and researching the history of your house.
Alternatively, if you are seeking used, rare and out of print books then try Abebooks. They bring together 13,500 independent, professional booksellers from all around the world.
Essex A to Z
Alphabetical List of Essex towns and villages
Includes extracts from the 1848,1863 and 1874 county directories which detail the history of the location and a list of the main inhabitants. A useful resource for tracking movements of your ancestors between the ten-yearly census.
Visit our featured location of
Kelvedon Hatch which includes a tour of the village in 1871.
History News
Read the latest history news for Essex and UK, covering all aspects of history and sources to aid research.
Snippets
When researching for this website we often find a little snippet of information on a location or subject which may be of interest. Here's some:
Essex in 1722
Daniel Defoe's Essex Tour
In 1722 Daniel Defoe set off of a tour of the eastern counties of England. His account of his journey provides not only a description and history of a some of the largest towns of Essex, but also provides lively insights into the economic and social activities of its inhabitants: oyster fishing, game shooting on the marshes; and the marrying habits of those living in the marsh areas. He also provides a compelling account of the siege of Colchester during the English Civil War. >> Tour through the Eastern Counties of England, 1722
Essex Court Cases
New ongoing project to create a list of Essex court cases and those involved, taken from 19th century newspaper reports. Also a guide to finding information on your criminal ancestors in Essex. >> more.
About History House
History House seeks to provide free information on the history of Essex to help you research your family history. The directories of Essex for 1848, 1863 and 1874 have been transcribed. It is hoped that other directories will follow. History House is researched and written by Phil George (Keldon).
The advertisements that appear on the website are to help pay the costs of the domain name and hosting fees of the website.
Contact History House to include your web site on our A to Z list of Essex locations if it contains historical information.