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 Rayleigh
Rayleigh, the Village 1951
Reproduced courtesy of The Francis Frith Collection.
Welcome to the home page for the History of Rayleigh 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
Rayleigh inhabitants who voted in the 1826 general election held in the Borough of Maldon.
White's Directory of Essex 1848
RAYLEIGH, a small ancient town, which formerly had a market, is pleasantly situated on the London and Rochford road >>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 Rayleigh.
Post Office Directory of Essex 1874
Post Office Directory of Essex 1874 - list of inhabitants.
Rayleigh Criminal Cases
Court cases involving Rayleigh residents - ongoing project >>more.
Rayleigh 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 Rayleigh.
Education in Rayleigh
Reports and returns on schools and education in Rayleigh.
Images and Maps
Images and maps of Rayleigh supplied by Francis Frith.
Rayleigh Poor
Under the Poor Law of 1834, Rayleigh became part of the Rochford Union. See our article on researching your workhouse and pauper ancestors.
My Rayleigh Ancestors
Are your ancestors from Rayleigh? 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 Rayleigh from Abebooks. Just click the logo. The search terms are already formatted for Rayleigh.
Search for Rayleigh 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.
Council web site with a brief history of Rayleigh.
Brief archeological history of Rayleigh on the Essex County Council's Unlocking Essex.
1881 Ordnance Survey Map from the British History Online web site (Essex: 069, Ordnance Survey 1:10,560: Epoch 1.0).
Ordnance Survey - type the place name in the gazetteer search box to view detailed map of Rayleigh.
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.