Holy Trinity, Chrishall, Essex

History of Holy Trinity

Enid Porter in Cambridgeshire Customs and Folklore p185, writes about the Plague Pit of Crishall.

She refers to a legend, unsubtantiated, that the village used to stand further up hill, around the church, but was destroyed by fire, either accidentally or following an outbreak of plague. There is however believed to be a plague pit in the church yard, possibly under the modern carpark.

For more deatil see:

https://www.hiddenea.com/essexc.htm

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1861

The census for Chrishall contains a list of those residents without houses. Included among these twenty or so people in Chrishall at the time is the family of Gipsy Rodney Smith. Additional note in the margin against Rodona [Rodney] says ‘he won’t tell because he don’t know’ and ‘I fancy him a son … wife won’t tell not marr.’:

Cannon Lane Chrishall, caravan:

Cornelius Smith, 26, chair bottomer, b unknown

Emily, 7,

Ezekiel, 5,

Lavenia, 8,

Rodona, 1,