This site has been created to give information about Preston in the nineteenth century. It contains 169 photographs including 60 of people who lived at Preston during this time. There are also 115 newspaper stories involving Preston people.

 

The following are links to relevant web pages:

 

Additions to the web site are at this link: What’s new.

 

Contact me with comments, information, photographs and questions.

 

Register your family interests at Preston - to contact others who are also researching your ancestors.

 

Censuses at Preston. There are notes and transcriptions of the 1801, 1821 and 1886 Preston censuses. Each of the official censuses from 1841-1901 are analysed and transcribed: 1841; 1851; 1861 (with Nina Freebody’s accompanying article); 1871; 1881; 1891; 1901. For those interested in particular families, there is an alphabetical list of people for each census.

 

As there was no Preston parish in the nineteenth century, there is an explanation of how “Preston” has been defined for this web site. There is also a page explaining how Preston was administered and a copy of the 1844 Tithe Map with a key to land owners and occupiers.

 

To look at areas of Preston in more detail, the village has been divided into nine neighbourhoods which have photographs, maps and notes: Introduction; Crunnells Green; Church Lane; The Wilderness; Back Lane; Preston Green; School Lane; Chequers Lane; Poynders Green, Wain Wood and Hill End.

 

There is a feature on Temple Dinsley and Nina Freebody’s “History of Preston”

 

The cottages of Preston - how they were built - with examples.

 

The three public houses at Preston are featured using the articles written by Preston historian, Nina Freebody -The Red Lion and The Chequers and Horse and Groom.

 

Life in Preston in the nineteenth century is described in the following pages: The Ponds of Preston; Agriculture and farm labourers; Straw plaiting; Crime; Mobility and movement; Cricket; The children of Preston contains details of almost 1,300 children who lived in the village in the 1800s; Marriages and Burials (which attempts to list those who married and died with a connection to Preston from 1800 -1901. The marriages include fathers’ names and witnesses where known. The burials give details of the date and place of burial). Marriages at St Martins from 1909 - 1985 are listed.

 

The farms of Preston will be featured. Included so far: Preston Hill Farm; Pond Farm

 

Religion in Preston is  discussed and there are pages about the Anglican churches,  Bunyan’s chapel and Minsden Chapel. Letters and a news article concerning the building of St Martins are at this link: 1898

 

Perhaps the best way of absorbing the flavour of life in the village is to read newspaper stories from the nineteenth century. There are notes about the need for privacy and the reports are grouped by the following headings: Robbery at Preston Hill; Arson and damage to property; Assault; Drunkenness; Family disputes; Farmers and dealers; Highway offences; Manslaughter, Poaching , Theft and Robbery, a fire at Parsonage Farm, Kings Walden which involved four Preston men and Miscellaneous reports.

 

The information about education gives an absorbing insight into the lives of children in the village. This is set out in the following pages: Education in Preston; School mistresses; Attendance and absenteeism; Literacy. There are school photographs from 1896 - 1922 and a  report on the school closure in 1977.

 

The militia lists of Hertfordshire are discussed with a catalogue of Preston men 1758-85. Link: Militia Lists

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are pages devoted to Preston families which feature photographs and family trees. This is a part of the web site which may be developed further. If you have information and/or photographs about your family that you would like to be included, please contact me. The portal to this section is, “People of Preston”.The families featured so far are: Armstrong; Ashton; Peters and Swain. The story of Robert Hinde of Preston Castle is told: Link: Robert Hinde.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Acknowledgments

I have received much help and encouragement during the research for this web site for which I am very grateful. The following have supplied photographs (shown in red) and other material used on this site.

 

I would like to thank the following: Liz Hunter, Betty Palmer, Jane Cole, Ann Tew, Chris Newell, Mary Cave-Brown,Christina Clews, Robert Ernest Freebody, Roz Welch, Penny Causer and Meta Reeves. My family and relations: Hazel L’Abraham, Rodney Wray, Phyllis and Cyril Vassall, Marion Snape, Maggie Whitby, Gillian Homes, Charlie and Bill Wray, Dorothy Littlefield, Eileen Green, Brian and Martin Wray, Jennifer Windebank,  Brian Gumm and Gordon Wray. Harry Hollingsworth. Family historians: Wendy Dinsdale, Peter Swain, Eric Peters, June Nicholson Glen Hickson and Wendy Carey. Nurses’ historian - Sue Light. Carol Casey (Burials Officer for North Hertfordshire Council). Hitchin Museum. Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies. Hertfordshire Mercury. The facilities of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints, Rhiwbina, Cardiff who have kindly supplied parish records of Hitchin, Kings Walden, St Pauls Walden and Ippollitts.

 

 

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There is an attempt to unify, describe and catalogue the Currell family who lived around Hitchin from 1700 - 1900 in the parishes of Willian, Aston, Baldock, Norton, Graveley and Hitchin. Link: Currells around Hitchin

Harry Hollingsworth has kindly submitted his memories and photographs of the first time that Preston won the “Herts Best Kept Village” competition. Link: Best Kept Village.

 

My family at Preston

Wray family history

Currell family history

The Currells of Preston, Herts (from 1781-1901). Link: Currells

Fairey/Farey family history

The Faireys of Preston, Herts: Link: Fairey family

There is an overview of my  family at Preston:  Link: My family at Preston - from 1751 until now. Various families are featured with trees and notes as follows:

Wray family history from 1700 - 1900. Link: Wray family history. My great grand-parents - Charles and Elizabeth Wray (1819 -1884); my grandparents - Alfred and Emily (nee Currell) Wray (1858 -1934); Arthur Wray (b 1883); Charlie Wray (b 1910); Charles Wray (b 1884); Carrie Pell (nee Wray) (b 1886); Alice Snelling (nee Wray) (b 1888); Flossie Sugden (nee Wray) (b1889); Ern Wray (b 1892); Bob Wray (b 1893); Nan Wray (b 1896); Ada Hitchman (nee Wray) (b 1898); Frank Wray (b 1899); Jack Wray (b 1901); Dick Wray (b 1903); my father - Sam Wray (b 1905); my mother - Grace Wray (nee Mills) (b 1912); Maggie Whitby (nee Wray) (b 1908). Ellis Wray - Luton shopkeeper (1877 - 1960)

Site map

 Ward family history

 

 

The Wards of Preston, Herts: Link: Ward family

There are notes concerning manorial rolls and the Temple Dinsley rolls from 1845 - 1922 with a searchable index  of people mentioned therein. Links: The Manor; Temple D. manorial rolls; Names index