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 Virley
Remains of St Mary's Church, Virley
©Glyn Baker and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence
contributor to the Geograph Project
Welcome to the home page for the History of Virley 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
VIRLEY, or Salcott Virley, is a small parish at the head of the creek, opposite Salcott, 8 miles South South West of Colchester. At >>more.
Directories of Essex 1848, 1863 and 1874
Directories of Essex 1848, 1863 and 1874 - list of inhabitants.
Education in Virley
Reports and returns on schools and education in Virley.
Virley Poor
Under the Poor Law of 1834, Virley became part of the Lexdon and Winstree Union. See our article on researching your workhouse and pauper ancestors.
My Virley Ancestors
Are your ancestors from Virley? 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 Virley from Abebooks. Just click the logo. The search terms are already formatted for Virley.
Search for Virley 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.
Colchester Archeological Trust's web site article on Virley Church and the Essex Earthquake.
1881 Ordnance Survey Map from the British History Online web site (Essex: 046, Ordnance Survey 1:10,560: Epoch 1.0).
Ordnance Survey - type the place name in the gazetteer search box to view detailed map of Virley.
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.