Before the Enclosure Acts, Chrishall Common was the land at the back of the High Street heading over towards Chishill. Exactly where it was I don’t know but you do see it marked on old maps …
Grazing on Chrishall Common
read more
Holy Trinity Church
There has been a church at Chrishall for over a thousand years. There are so many stories it could tell us if only we could hear. Did it really used to look down on a village that was spread over the fields on the south of the church? And what really happened when the Plague came? Even though most of the Chrishall houses are now further up the hill the church is still there to look over the village and a recent restoration has made it even more of a community space.
Below you will find articles about the previous vicars of Chrishall and even some of the medieval inhabitants of this village. The graveyard map is here too if you are trying to find ancestors. And it starts with a picture gallery of the church from the early part of the twentieth century up to the present day. (Click here for a description of the church from The Church of England website.)
Click on a photograph or article title to read more.
Church gallery of images
Chrishall Church images Click on any of the images below to see the full details of these lovely images. On the larger copy of the first image below, for example, you can see two people walking down the footpath towards The Butts. Notice how in the older photographs...
Joan Cobham of Chrishall
In Chrishall Church there is a large brass that covers (or once covered – it has probably been moved) the tombs of Sir John de la Pole, who died probably in 1380, and his wife Joan (née Cobham), who died probably ten years or so later. And the stone effigy that is...
Ancient Church Graffiti
Do you time travel? To some extent local history research can be like time travel. The twentieth century is not only very well documented but large chunks of it are still in living memory of course. Even the 19th century has a fairly wide range of information still...
Rev. Godfrey Everth’s Book of Poetry
The Rev. Godfrey Everth was vicar at Chrishall from 1839 (see all the vicars of Chrishall here). We hope it was the inspiration of his surroundings that ten years later allowed him to publish a book of poetry he had written. The Rev. Godfrey Everth MA, whose memorial...
Vicars of Chrishall and development of the church
In the 12th century the church was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. 1100: Richard de Bologne. After the Norman Conquest, Eustace de Bologne was rewarded by King William with gifts of land, one of which was Chrishall. So it looks like he installed one of his...
Church Register extracts from the 17th and 18th centuries
Memorandum that on the 12th day of August Anon Domini 1683 Roger Bankes (illegible word) read the Book of Articles of Religion and gave his (illegible word) and consent to all things contained in the Book of Common Prayer and (Illegible word) of the Sacrament and...
Chrishall church without the spire 1914
This photograph was probably taken soon after the spire had been removed. According to Chrishall Scrapbook this was when the tower was restored in 1914. Note the lamp opposite the main door. There seem to be a series of these lamps across the village. (Click to...
Chrishall Church Gravestone Inscriptions
Chrishall Churchyard (with thanks to The Village Web where this article was first published) There has been a church at Chrishall since before the Norman Conquest. Burial could have been offered to a Chrishall population consisting of 2 Freemen, 4 Sokemen (tenants of...
Search all of Chrishall Village History website:
