This site has been created to give information about Preston in the nineteenth century. It contains 267 photographs including 83 of people who lived in Preston during this time. There are also 45 maps and charts and 140 newspaper stories involving Preston people. The following are links to relevant web pages:

 

An in-depth history of Preston spread over three pages of 27 A4 pages is assembled at this link: Preston History.

 

The story of how this website evolved is told at this link: Website. It includes an article in Family Tree magazine - April 2010 issue. Additions to the web site are at this link: What’s new.

 

Contact me with comments, information, photographs and questions. Register your family interests in Preston - to contact others who are also researching your ancestors.

 

Censuses of 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, 1911.  There is an alphabetical list of people for each census for easy searching. The 1837 Preston Rate Book is also featured.

 

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 neighbourhoods which have photographs, maps and notes: Introduction; Crunnells Green; Church Lane; The Wilderness; Back Lane; Holly Cottages, Back Lane; Preston Green and the Trees of the Green; School Lane; Chequers Lane; Poynders Green, Wain Wood, Sootfield Green and Hill End. Visits to Preston in the 1890s, 1913 and 1970 are included. Link: Views A deserted  village near Preston? Link: Welei

 

There is a feature on Temple Dinsley and a separate article  about The Cottage/ The Dower House. Nina Freebody’s ‘History of Preston’. Nina’s life of teaching and research is celebrated. Link: Nina Freebody

 

The cottages of Preston - how they were built - with examples. There are pages detailing Sir Edwin Lutyens’ legacy at Preston. Link: Lutyens.

 

The three public houses in 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; Morality,  The Preston pound, Preston allotments, 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 Martin’s from 1909 - 1985 are listed.

 

Preston’s farms will be featured. Included are: Preston Hill Farm; Pond Farm: Castle Farm: Home Farm.

 

Religion in Preston is  discussed and there are pages about the Anglican churches,  Bunyan’s Chapel, Minsden Chapel, parts one and two and the Hitchin Back Street Meeting Place. Articles re: the building and consecration of St Martin’s are at these links: 1898, 1900. A visual tour of the interior of St Martins in April 2009 is included Link: St Martins tour.

 

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. 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, Scott and Swain.  Robert Hinde of Preston Castle: Link: Robert Hinde.  Stephen Swain; Link: Stephen Swain. The descendents of Charles Swain (bn 1818) Link: Charles Swain.

 

The Seebohms of Poynders End; Link: Seebohm. The Pryor family; Link: Pryors. James Barrington-White. Link: JBW. Preston soldiers in World War I are listed. Link: Preston soldiers. Samuel Hall of the Red Lion: Link: S Hall. Chalkley Whitbread Link: Whitbread. Simon Stevens Link: Stevens

 

Preston was closely linked with an international opera star in the nineteenth century. Link: Emily Soldene. To learn of her connection with Preston, follow this link: Emily and Preston.

 

 

 

 

 

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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 in Preston:  Link: My family in 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