Place:Birchanger, Essex, England

source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names

source: Family History Library Catalog

the following text is based on an article in Wikipedia

Birchanger is a village and civil parish in Essex, England. It is located 3 km (1.9 mi) northeast of Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire and is 25 km (16 mi) northwest of the county town of Chelmsford. The village is in the District of Uttlesford. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 987.

The local CoE church of St Mary the Virgin, dating from the 12th century, is a grade II* listed building. The village lies close to London Stansted Airport, which is 3 km (1.9 mi) to the east. Stansted Mountfitchet village is 2 km (1.2 mi) north.

In the 12th Century the village name in ancient British was recorded as "Bircehangra" which means "Wooded slope growing with birch trees". This name is still appropriate today as parts of Birchanger Wood still exist which still contains many Birch trees (which are protected).

The parish was part of the Stansted Rural District from 1894 until 1934 when it was abolished. It was then transferred into Saffron Walden Rural District. Since 1974 it has been located in the Uttlesford District of Essex.

Research Tips

• A map of Saffron Walden Rural District.
• Birchanger, Essex, in A Vision of Britain Through Time
• The Recorders of Ucclesford History provides a series of webpages on most of the parishes in Ucclesford District. They also host transcriptions from various parishes provided by local family history societies.