London Borough of Barking and Dagenham
Local Studies Information Sheet no. 41
SOURCES FOR FAMILY HISTORY IN DAGENHAM
PARISH REGISTERS
The ancient parish of Dagenham was large, extending from the Thames in the
south to Hainault in the north, and including Chadwell Heath. The parish church
was St Peter & St Paul in Dagenham Village. The original registers are kept at the
Essex Record Office, Chelmsford. The Archives and Local Studies Centre holds
microfilm and fiche copies of:
Baptisms 1598-1968, marriages 1598-1948, and burials 1598-1959
Scanned images of the St Peter & St Paul registers covering the years 1598 to the
1900s are available on the Essex Record Office’s “Essex Ancestors” web
pages. Follow the links from the main search page,
at:http://seax.essexcc.gov.uk/displayParishContents.asp
PARISH REGISTER SURNAME INDEXES
The Archives and Local Studies Centre holds the Riverside Parish series surname
index for St Peter & St Paul’s. It is on microfiche and covers baptisms, marriages
and burials 1800-1848.
Burials in Dagenham parish churchyard during the dates 1723-1848, 1891-1936
and 1941-1959 are listed on the 3rd edition of the National Burial Index for England
and Wales. This is on CD-Rom and may be viewed at the Archives and Local
Studies Centre.
MONUMENTAL INSCRIPTIONS
The Archives and Local Studies Centre holds a list, in 3 volumes, of gravestone
inscriptions in Dagenham parish churchyard compiled in 1984. It is arranged by
surname and includes a location plan.
LBBD CEMETERIES BURIALS (NOT INCLUDING CHURCHYARDS):
An online database covering Rippleside, Eastbrookend and Chadwell Heath
cemeteries is available, searchable by name. Clicking on the “view grave detail”
button reveals the names of everyone buried in a particular grave. Please see:
http://cemweb.barking-dagenham.gov.uk/servlet/Telesearch
CENSUS RETURNS
We offer free access to the Ancestry Library Edition and Find My Past Community
Edition websites, which holds the census returns 1841-1911 searchable by
personal name and place.
We also hold the 1841-1901 census returns for Dagenham on microfiche/film.
Please turn over/. . .
ELECTORAL REGISTERS
The Archives and Local Studies Centre holds Dagenham electoral registers from
1900 to date, with gaps during both World Wars. (There are also transcripts of
voters’ lists 1693-1900, an Excel database of which is currently being compiled.
Please apply to a member of staff if you wish to view this.)
TITHE MAP AND SCHEDULE, 1844
This gives the owners and occupiers of homes and land in the parish of
Dagenham in 1844. The names range from the Lord of the Manor down to tenants
of cottages. We have compiled an index searchable by occupier name and plot
number.
LOCAL NEWSPAPERS
Family history information found in newspapers may include birth, marriage and
death announcements, wedding reports and even lengthy obituaries. The
Archives and Local Studies Centre holds the following:
The Essex Times 1866-1888
The Barking Advertiser (later the Recorder) 1888-2010 (ceased publication)
The Dagenham Post (now the Barking & Dagenham Post) from 1928 to date
THE GRO (General Register Office) BIRTH, MARRIAGE AND DEATH
INDEXES FOR ENGLAND AND WALES
These are on microfiche and cover the years 1837-2004.
Other useful family history sources are listed on the following Local Studies
Information Sheets:
Sheet 38: Tracing the history of houses in Barking & Dagenham
Sheet 39: Internet sites for family history
Sheet 40: Sources for family history in Barking
It is advisable to book a microfilm or fiche reader in advance of your visit. Please
call us on 020 8227 2033 or e-mail localstudies@lbbd.gov.uk
PRIMARY SOURCES HELD ELSEWHERE
Later parishes
Additional Anglican parishes were established towards from the 1920s onward to
look after the large increase in population which occurred as a result of the
Becontree Estate and subsequent housing developments. Some completed
parish registers have been deposited at the Essex Record Office, Chelmsford. For
a list, please follow the links from the Essex Ancestors main search page, at:
http://seax.essexcc.gov.uk/displayParishContents.asp
Archives & Local Studies Centre, Valence House, Becontree Ave, Dagenham RM8 3HT
localstudies@lbbd.gov.uk / www.lbbd.gov.uk/archives / www.facebook.com/valencehouse
09.2014