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 Brightlingsea
Brightlingsea, Sailing Barges 1907, Essex
Reproduced courtesy of The Francis Frith Collection.
Welcome to the home page for the History of Brightlingsea 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.
Feature articles
All Saints Church, Brightlingsea, contains unique memorials to parishioners who have lost their lives at sea - 213 memorial tiles, to be exact. >>more
Poll of Voters 1826
Brightlingsea inhabitants who voted in the 1826 general election held in the Borough of Maldon.
Poll of Voters 1847
Brightlingsea inhabitants who voted in the 1847 general election.
White's Directory of Essex 1848
BRIGHTLINGSEA, a considerable fishing village on the eastern side of the estuary of the river Colne, 10 miles South East by South of >>more.
White's Directory of Essex 1848 - list of inhabitants.
White's Directory of Essex 1863
White's Directory of Essex 1863 - list of inhabitants.
Post Office Directory of Essex 1874
Post Office Directory of Essex 1874 - list of inhabitants.
Brightlingsea Criminal Cases
Court cases involving Brightlingsea residents - ongoing project >>more.
Education in Brightlingsea
Reports and returns on schools and education in Brightlingsea.
Images and Maps
Images and maps of Brightlingsea supplied by Francis Frith.
Brightlingsea Poor
Under the Poor Law of 1834, Brightlingsea became part of the Lexdon and Winstree Union. See our article on researching your workhouse and pauper ancestors.
My Brightlingsea Ancestors
Are your ancestors from Brightlingsea? 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 Brightlingsea from Abebooks. Just click the logo. The search terms are already formatted for Brightlingsea.
Search for Brightlingsea 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
'Jacobes', Brightlingsea. First recorded in 1315.
Has a rare c.16 polygonal brick stair-turret.
©Robert Edwards
Photograph by kind permission of Robert Edwards,
contributor to the Geograph Project
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.
Explore the Brightlingsea Town Guide with sections on family trees, old photographs and a maritime history of Brightlingsea.
Brightlingsea is one of the Cinque Ports, apart from Town Guide above, additional information appears on the Cinque Port Liberty.
1881 Ordnance Survey Map from the British History Online web site (Essex: 037, Ordnance Survey 1:10,560: Epoch 1.0).
Ordnance Survey - type the place name in the gazetteer search box to view detailed map of Brightlingsea.
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.