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 Chignall Smealy
St. Nicholas' Church, Chignall Smealy
©John Winfield
Photograph by kind permission of John Winfield,
contributor to the Geograph Project
Welcome to the home page for the History of Chignall Smealy 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
CHIGNAL-SMEALY, or Little Chignal, is a very small parish near the source of a rivulet, 4½ miles North West of Chelmsford. It >>more.
Directories of Essex 1848 and 1874
Directories of Essex 1848 and 1874 - list of inhabitants.
White's Directory of Essex 1863
White's Directory of Essex 1863 - list of inhabitants.
Education in Chignall Smealy
Reports and returns on schools and education in Chignall Smealy.
Chignall Smealy Poor
Under the Poor Law of 1834, Chignall Smealy became part of the Chelmsford Union. See our article on researching your workhouse and pauper ancestors.
My Chignall Smealy Ancestors
Are your ancestors from Chignall Smealy? 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 Chignall Smealy from Abebooks. Just click the logo. The search terms are already formatted for Chignall Smealy.
Search for Chignall Smealy 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
Essex1841.com transcript of 1841 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.
1881 Ordnance Survey Map from the British History Online web site (Essex: 043, Ordnance Survey 1:10,560: Epoch 1.0).
Ordnance Survey - type the place name in the gazetteer search box to view detailed map of Chignall Smealy.
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.