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 Witham
Witham, High Street 1900
Reproduced courtesy of The Francis Frith Collection.
Welcome to the home page for the History of Witham 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.
Pigot's Directory of Essex 1823
Pigot's Directory of Essex 1823 - list of inhabitants.
Poll of Voters 1826
Whitham inhabitants who voted in the 1826 general election held in the Borough of Maldon.
Poll of Voters 1847
Witham inhabitants who voted in the 1847 general election.
White's Directory of Essex 1848
WITHAM, a small, but handsome and well-built market town, is pleasantly situated on the high road from London to Colchester, >>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 Witham.
Post Office Directory of Essex 1874
Post Office Directory of Essex 1874 - list of inhabitants.
Witham Criminal Cases
Court cases involving Witham residents - ongoing project >>more.
Education in Witham
Reports and returns on schools and education in Witham.
Agriculture in Witham
Report on employment in agriculture in Witham in 1867.
Images and Maps
Images and maps of Witham supplied by Francis Frith.
Witham Poor
Under the Poor Law of 1834, Witham became part of the Witham Union, later the Braintree Union. See our article on researching your workhouse and pauper ancestors.
List of parish paupers given relief in 1858.
My Witham Ancestors
Are your ancestors from Witham? 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 Witham from Abebooks. Just click the logo. The search terms are already formatted for Witham.
Search for Witham 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.
Extracts from various books on the history of Witham and Domesday Witham by Janet Gyford.
Brief archeological history of Witham on the Essex County Council's Unlocking Essex.
1881 Ordnance Survey Map from the British History Online web site (Essex: 045, Ordnance Survey 1:10,560: Epoch 1.0).
Ordnance Survey - type the place name in the gazetteer search box to view detailed map of Witham.
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.
Whitham
print published 1834