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 Halstead
Halstead, High Street 1952
Reproduced courtesy of The Francis Frith Collection.
Welcome to the home page for the History of Halstead 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.
Poll of Voters 1826
Halstead inhabitants who voted in the 1826 general election held in the Borough of Maldon.
Poll of Voters 1847
Halstead inhabitants who voted in the 1847 general election.
White's Directory of Essex 1848
Halstead is a neat but irregularly built market town, pleasantly situated on both sides of the valley of the small river Colne >>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.
Essex Almanac 1866
Essex Almanac of 1866 - a description of Halstead.
Post Office Directory of Essex 1874
Post Office Directory of Essex 1874 - list of inhabitants.
Halstead Criminal Cases
Court cases involving Halstead residents - ongoing project >>more.
Halstead 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 Halstead.
Education in Halstead
Reports and returns on schools and education in Halstead.
Agriculture in Halstead
Report on employment in agriculture in Halstead in 1867.
Images and Maps
Images and maps of Halstead by Francis Frith.
Halstead Poor
Under the Poor Law of 1834, Halstead became part of the Halstead Union. See our article on researching your workhouse and pauper ancestors.
My Halstead Ancestors
Are your ancestors from Halstead? Why not tell us their story: My Ancestors.
A memory of Halstead: Greenwood's memories of Victorian Essex.
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 Halstead from Abebooks. Just click the logo. The search terms are already formatted for Halstead.
Search for Halstead 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.
Web site on the history of Halstead, includes maps and old photographs.
Brief archeological history of Halstead on the Essex County Council's Unlocking Essex.
Essex County Council's Essex Historic Towns Survey for Halstead. Useful information on the history of the town.
1881 Ordnance Survey Map from the British History Online web site (Essex: 017, Ordnance Survey 1:10,560: Epoch 1.0).
Ordnance Survey - type the place name in the gazetteer search box to view detailed map of Halstead.
Images of England web site which has a photographic record of England's listed buildings - from the grandest house to the humblest cottage. Enter the town or village in the search box. Photographs are accompanied by a detailed architectural description of the property.