Ancestors lost in the crowd?
New to family history research?
Perhaps these articles on our website may help:
Census 1841 - 1911
Birth, Death and Marriage Registration
The London Gazette
Newspaper archives
Trade Directories
History of Berechurch
Berechurch (from a print c.1823
Welcome to the home page for the History of Berechurch and its inhabitants.
Below you find links to a range of sources transcribed by History House. Further below under 'more local history sources' you will find to links to other places on the web where you can continue your research.
For other locations in Essex see our alphabetical list of Essex towns and villages.
White's Directory of Essex 1848
BERECHURCH or WEST DONYLAND, is a very small parish, two miles South of Colchester, having only 147 inhabitants and 6 borough >>more.
White's Directory of Essex 1848 - list of inhabitants (under Colchester).
Post Office Directory of Essex 1874
Post Office Directory of Essex 1874 - list of inhabitants.
Berechurch Criminal Cases
Court cases involving Berechurch residents, an ongoing project, are in the Colchester cases.
Education in Berechurch
Reports and returns on schools and education in Berechurch.
Berechurch Poor
Under the Poor Law of 1834, Berechurch became part of the Colchester Union. See our article on researching your workhouse and pauper ancestors.
My Berechurch Ancestors
Are your ancestors from Berechurch? Why not tell us their story: My Ancestors.
More local history sources
Ebay is now a great source for old images of Essex towns and villages. If you're looking for pictures to add to your family tree album, then try one of the auctions, or there are several 'Buy It Now' shops offering postcards which have been touched up and improved - so if you're unsure about bidding, try these. Link already formatted for Essex. Browse through or type the name of the location in the Ebay search box. >>
Also on Ebay are legal documents on vellum. This link is formatted for Essex. (Sometimes I think these should be in an archive.) >>
Books featuring Berechurch from Abebooks. Just click the logo. The search terms are already formatted for Berechurch.
Search for Berechurch census returns at ancestry.co.uk.
1841 England Census | 1851 England Census
| 1861 England Census
1871 England Census | 1881 England Census
| 1891 England Census
1901 England Census
The Essex Record Office: an excellent starting point for research. The ERO has an online catalogue by the name of SEAX and a database of Parish Records held in the ERO. Access to both via their home page.
Excellent detailed information on the history of Berechurch appears in the Victorian Counties History on the British History Online web site: 'Outlying parts of the Liberty: West Donyland', A History of the County of Essex: Volume 9: The Borough of Colchester (1994).
1881 Ordnance Survey Map from the British History Online web site (Essex: 027, Ordnance Survey 1:10,560: Epoch 1.0).
Ordnance Survey - type the place name in the gazetteer search box to view detailed map of Berechurch.
Heritage Gateway. Database of national and local records of England's historic sites and buildings. Includes records and photographs of all listed buildings, and historical and archaeological information on locations throughout England.