Discover the Essex local history resources available to everyone.
Essex is a county in southeast England in a region called East of England.
Because you’ll find Essex between London and the North Sea, it has a good combination of easy access to London, rural districts and a whopping 350 miles of coastline!
Historical sites include Chichester’s Roman ruins, Norman Castle and the Cathedral founded in 1075, plus a number of stately homes such as the 18th-century Hylands House in Chelmsford and Saffron Walden’s Jacobean estate Audley End House and Gardens.
Meanwhile England’s longest pier is found at Southend-on-Sea, where funfair rides and the annual Carnival continue to delight locals and visitors alike.
Cities, Towns, And Villages Of Essex
This listing is according to the ceremonial county of Essex, rather than the historic county. There is much overlap between the two, but also discrepancies.
If the name is highlighted, you can click through to a dedicated page of old images of that place.
Cities, towns, and villages Of Essex:
- Abberton
- Abbess Roding
- Abridge
- Aldham
- Alphamstone
- Alresford
- Althorne
- Ardleigh
- Arkesden
- Ashdon
- Asheldham
- Ashen
- Ashingdon
- Audley End
- Aythorpe Roding
- Bardfield Saling
- Barnston
- Barrow Hill
- Basildon
- Beauchamp Roding
- Beaumont-cum-Moze
- Belchamp Otten
- Belchamp St Paul
- Belchamp Walter
- Berden
- Berners Roding
- Bicknacre
- Billericay
- Birch
- Birchanger
- Birdbrook
- Blackmore
- Black Notley
- Bobbingworth
- Bocking
- Boreham
- Borley
- Boxted
- Bradfield
- Bradwell-on-Sea
- Bradwell Waterside
- Braintree
- Brentwood
- Brightlingsea
- Broomfield
- Broxted
- Buckhurst Hill
- Bulmer
- Bures Hamlet
- Bures St Mary
- Burnham-on-Crouch
- Benfleet
- Broxted
- Canvey Island
- Castle Hedingham
- Chadwell St Mary
- Chafford Hundred
- Chelmsford
- Chignall Smealy
- Chigwell
- Childerditch
- Chipping Ongar
- Chrishall
- Clacton-on-Sea
- Clavering
- Coggeshall
- Colchester
- Cold Norton
- Colne Engaine
- Corringham
- Debden, Epping Forest
- Debden, Uttlesford
- Dedham
- Dengie
- Doddinghurst
- Dovercourt
- Downham
- Drapers Green
- Duddenhoe End
- Earls Colne
- East Horndon
- East Mersea
- East Tilbury
- Elmdon
- Elmstead Market
- Elsenham
- Epping
- Farnham
- Faulkbourne
- Feering
- Felsted
- Finchingfield
- Fingringhoe
- Flitch Green
- Foulness Island
- Foxearth
- Frating
- Frinton-on-Sea
- Fryerning
- Fyfield
- Galleywood
- Gosfield
- Grays
- Great Baddow
- Great Bardfield
- Great Bentley
- Great Bromley
- Great Dunmow
- Great Horkesley
- Great Maplestead
- Great Notley
- Great Oakley
- Great Saling
- Great Totham
- Great Wakering
- Great Warley
- Great Yeldham
- Hadleigh
- Hadstock
- Halstead
- Harlow
- Harwich
- Hatfield Peverel
- Hawkwell
- Helions Bumpstead
- Henham
- Herongate
- Heybridge
- High Beach
- High Laver
- High Ongar
- Hockley
- Horndon-on-the-Hill
- Horsley Cross
- Horsleycross Street
- Howe Green
- Hullbridge
- Hutton
- Ingatestone
- Ingrave
- Kelvedon
- Kelvedon Hatch
- Kirby-le-Soken
- Lambourne
- Langenhoe
- Latchingdon
- Lawford
- Layer de la Haye
- Leaden Roding
- Leigh-on-Sea
- Lexden
- Liston
- Little Baddow
- Little Bentley
- Little Bromley
- Little Dunmow
- Little Horkesley
- Little Maplestead
- Little Totham
- Little Warley
- Loughton
- Maldon
- Manningtree
- Margaretting
- Marks Tey
- Mashbury
- Matching Tye
- Messing
- Mistley
- Mount Bures
- Mountnessing
- Mundon
- Navestock
- Newport
- North Benfleet
- Northey Island
- North Shoebury
- Nounsley
- Oakwood Park
- Old Heath
- Orsett
- Osea Island
- Ostend
- Ovington
- Pale Green
- Parkeston
- Pebmarsh
- Pentlow
- Pilgrims Hatch
- Pitsea
- Pleshey
- Potton Island
- Prittlewell
- Purfleet-on-Thames
- Quendon
- Ramsey
- Rawreth
- Rayleigh
- Rayne
- Ridgewell
- Rochford
- Rowhedge
- Roydon
- Saffron Walden
- St Lawrence Bay
- St Osyth
- Sandon
- Sewards End
- Shelley
- Shellow Bowells
- Shenfield
- Shoeburyness
- Sible Hedingham
- Silver End
- South Benfleet
- Southend-on-Sea
- Southminster
- South Ockendon
- South Woodham Ferrers
- Stanford-le-Hope
- Stansted Mountfitchet
- Stanway
- Stambourne
- Stapleford Abbotts
- Steeple Bumpstead
- Stebbing
- Stisted
- Stock
- Stondon Massey
- Stow Maries
- Sturmer
- Takeley
- Tendring
- Terling
- Thorpe-le-Soken
- Thaxted
- Theydon Bois
- Thorrington
- Thundersley
- Thurrock
- Tilbury
- Tilbury Juxta Clare
- Tiptree
- Tollesbury
- Tolleshunt Knights
- Toot Hill
- Toppesfield
- Two Tree Island
- Ugley
- Ugley Green
- Vange
- Virley
- Wallasea Island
- Waltham Abbey
- Walton-on-the-Naze
- Warley
- West Bergholt
- Westcliff-on-Sea
- West Horndon
- West Mersea
- West Thurrock
- West Tilbury
- Wethersfield
- White Colne
- White Court
- White Notley
- Wickford
- Wickham Bishops
- Wiggens Green
- Wimbish
- Witham
- Wivenhoe
- Wix
- Woodlands Park
- Wormingford
- Wrabness
- Writtle
- Young’s End
Essex History Facebook Groups
Facebook Groups are a great way to share photos, information and memories with other people who have an interest in the history of Essex:
- Canvey Community Archive, Local History
- Clacton & District Local History Society
- Fordham Local History Society Archaeology Group
- Hatfield Regis Local History Society
- Old Photos of Essex Kent & London
- Tilty Archaeology and Local History Group
Essex Local History Resources
On a separate page you’ll find an extensive list of national resources which may also contain information to help your local history and family history research.
Resources dedicated to the history of Essex include:
- Barking & District Historical Society
- Billericay Archaeological & History Society
- Brentwood & District Historical Society
- Chingford Historical Society
- Clacton & District Local History Society
- Essex Archaeological & Historical Congress
- Essex Society for Archaeology & History
- Essex Society for Family History
- Foxearth & District Local History Society
- Halstead & District Local History Society
- Leyton & Leytonstone Historical Society
- Loughton & District History Society
- Maldon Society
- Manuden Local History Society
- Nazeing History Workshop
- Newham History Society
- Rochford Hundred Historical Society
- Saffron Walden Archive Society
- Saffron Walden Historical Society
- Takeley Local History Society
- Thurrock Local History Society
- Woodford Historical Society
- Writtle Archives
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