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 Braintree
Braintree, Market Square 1900
Reproduced courtesy of The Francis Frith Collection.
Welcome to the home page for the History of Braintree 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.
Pigot's Directory of Essex 1823
Pigot's Directory of Essex 1823 - list of inhabitants.
Poll of Voters 1826
Braintree inhabitants who voted in the 1826 general election held in the Borough of Maldon.
Poll of Voters 1847
Braintree inhabitants who voted in the 1847 general election.
White's Directory of Essex 1848
BRAINTREE, a well built and improving market town, is partly in its own parish, and partly in that of Bocking, and >>more.
White's Directory of Essex 1848 - list of inhabitants. Also includes Bocking.
White's Directory of Essex 1863 - list of inhabitants. Also includes Bocking.
Essex Almanac 1866
Essex Almanac of 1866 - a description of Braintree and Bocking.
Post Office Directory of Essex 1874
Post Office Directory of Essex 1874 - list of inhabitants. Also see the entry for Bocking.
Braintree Criminal Cases
Court cases involving Braintree residents - ongoing project >>more.
Braintree 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 one for Braintree.
Education in Braintree
Reports and returns on schools and education in Braintree.
Images and Maps
Images and maps of Braintree by Francis Frith.
Braintree Poor
Under the Poor Law of 1834, Braintree became part of the Braintree Union. See our article on researching your workhouse and pauper ancestors.
My Braintree Ancestors
Are your ancestors from Braintree? Why not tell us their story: My Ancestors.
More local history sources
Discover how to explore newspaper archives. With millions of pages now online, there is always the possibility of finding articles featuring your ancestors.
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 Braintree from Abebooks. Just click the logo. The search terms are already formatted for Braintree.
Search for Braintree 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 |
1911 England Census
The Essex Record Office 'ERO' is an excellent starting point for research. The ERO has an online catalogue by the name of SEAX and many of the parish registers are now available online. Access to both via the ERO's homepage.
If you are unable to travel to the ERO, we provide a professional archival research service.
Brief archeological history of Braintree on the Essex County Council's Unlocking Essex.
Web site on the history of Bocking and Braintree.
1881 Ordnance Survey Map from the British History Online web site (Essex: 025, Ordnance Survey 1:10,560: Epoch 1.0).
Ordnance Survey - type the place name in the gazetteer search box to view detailed map of Braintree.
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.