Miller Christy 1861-1928 |
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Miller Christy was a respected authority on
archaeology and ornithology in Essex, and over a forty year period he
published many books and articles on these subjects, plus Natural History and
related topics. He was President of the Essex Field Club in the early 1900s
and chairman of the Essex Archaeological Society in 1920s. Although he did
not live locally, some of his literature refers to the Blackwater region and
this has contributed significantly to our local history and the Goldhanger Past website. Information
on the site about The Stone in The Square, Decoy
Ponds, Bounds Farm salt-works, and biographical
details of author the Revd J C Atkinson all
originate from his published works. This is more than enough to justify the
inclusion of some biographical details about him on this site, particularly
as no extensive biography of him that identifies the full extent of his
publications has been found on the web to date... He was born Robert Miller Christy, he never
married and had no direct descendants. He lived two miles west of Chelmsford
in the small village of Chignal St. James, but is said to have stayed at the Mill House in Fish St, Goldhanger on
many occasions, probably while undertaking local research work. Miller Christy was a member of a well known
Quaker family and many of his relatives were successful in business: Miller Christy (1748-1820) a hat-making
business in Gracechurch Street, London William Miller Christy (1778-1858) hat and
textile manufacturer, and banker Henry Christy (1810-1865) banker,
collector, founder of Christy towel manufacturers Fell Christy (1835-1918) founded Christy
& Norris, in Chelmsford - machinery manufacturers Frank & Leonard Christy founded
Christy Bros. in Chelmsford in 1833 - manufacturers of electrical equipment He had an
impressive ‘farmhouse’ built at Chignal St. James, and is an indication of
his wealth at that time. It was recently restored and extended. The photo on
the left shows his house in 1912 and on the right as it is in recent times...
Detailed genealogy
of his family is available at... http://www.pennyghael.org.uk/Christy.pdf [ about these external
links ] an obituary of
Miller Christy from the time is at... britishbirds.co.uk/.../Miller_Christy.pdf and an interesting
article about him was published in an Essex magazine in 1985, an extract is
available here with this title... Throughout his life Miller Christy was a
prolific author and most if not all of his work is still available. The Essex
Library on-line catalogue lists 62 items for Author: Miller Christy spread around various Essex libraries.
Many are "reference only" and not available for loan. Some are
hard-back books, most are reprints of articles from published journals of the
day, but even these are of substantial lengths, up to 70 pages in length.
Today, much of his work can be found on various websites, and nine different
websites are identified below. His many articles in Essex Field/Naturalist journals can found with a search within... www.essexfieldclub.org.uk ...or by going to their contents page. |
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Miller
Christy
Literature
referenced and used on the Goldhanger Past website |
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Birds of Essex (1890) This book is perhaps his best known work
and has 9 references to Goldhanger in it. He describes the Essex decoy ponds
on several pages available at... Essex
Decoy Ponds. Maura Benham used material from this book in Goldhanger – an Estuary Village, Appendix-III, describing the Method of working decoy ponds
[3rd-page],
and
also used his
drawings. Chapter-2(p8) of the book
is Biographies of Principle Essex
Ornithologists and includes amongst the many Essex based ornithologists,
author The Revd. John Christopher
Atkinson (1814-1900), who was born in Goldhanger, and who would have been
well know to Christy. His words are included in our biographical details of
the Atkinsons. The Birds of Essex book has over 50
references to J C Atkinson's work. |
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The Biographies chapter also includes
ornithologists the Revd. John Atkinson (1786-1870), Goldhanger Curate and J C
Atkinson's father, A E
Fitch, mayor of Maldon, H Laver of Colchester. It was Fitch and Laver who excavated
the Goldhanger saltworks at Bounds Farm in 1889. It seems that the same small
group of Essex men were involved in both ornithology and archaeology. The 330-page book can be viewed on-line
at... http://www.unz.org/Pub/ChristyMiller-1890 [ about these... external
links ] and at... http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/50449#page/1/mode/1up |
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The Goldhanger Stone: what is it? 3-pages published
in the Essex Archaeological Society journal of 1909, plus an update
article in 1911. Extracts are in Ancient Goldhanger Documents and can be viewed on pages
23 & 24. |
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Two years after he published the article
above on the Golddhanger stone, Christy Miller published a 3-page sequel in
the Essex Archaeological Society journal of 1911. It explains that he was
totally convivnce it was a cider press originating from Hey Tor on Dartmoor. The original 560 page transactions can be
seen at.. http://esah1852.org.uk/images/pdf/new-series/T2120000.pdf
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This 12-page article published in the Essex
naturalist: journal of the Essex Field Club in 1906, has extensive i
information about the saltworks in Goldhanger, Heybridge and Maldon, and was
used to create... Goldhanger
Past - Salt Extraction on the Blackwater The original article can be seen at.. http://www.essexfieldclub.org.uk/portal/p/Archive/s/015/o/0193 |
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This is the title of a 22 page paper
written by Christy Miller and WH Dalton in 1925 and published in the Transactions
of the Essex Archaeological Society... Two Large Groups of
Marsh Mounds on the Essex Coast IV - Description
and known history of the group near Maldon The paper provides
a valuable insight into the origins of the Barrow Marsh Tumuli. See... The Barrow Marshes
which includes extracts. The original 260 page transactions can be
seen at.. http://esah1852.org.uk/images/pdf/new-series/T2180000.pdf |
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Trade Signs of Essex (1887) "A
popular account of the origin and meanings of the public house & other
signs now or formerly found in the county of Essex". The book contains references to the
Goldhanger Bird-in-Hand and Dolphin alehouses, as seen here....
but strangely no references to the Chequers or Cricketers, although the names
are covered in the book. The 207-page book can be read on-line at... http://www.unz.org/Pub/ChristyMiller-1887 |
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Durrants Handbook of Essex (1887) a 237-page hardcover
pocket-size book... "A
guide to the principal places, and objects of interest in each parish In the
County; For the use of tourists and others".
Edmund Durrant was the publisher and a book seller in Chelmsford and Miller
Christy was the author. The book has a brief
description of Goldhanger and it has an
interest description of Beckingham Hall ruins This website has
six other extracts... http://blackmorehistory.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Christy
Miller (historian) |
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Other
publications by Miller Christy of note |
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The Silver Map of the World Miller Christy's commemorative
interpretation of Sir Walter Drakes "Great Voyage", which included maps... The 140-page book can be read on-line at... at... http://www.unz.org/Pub/ChristyMiller-1900 and at... https://archive.org/stream/silvermapworld |
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The Voyages of Captain Luke Foxe of Hull and
Captain Thomas James ...of Bristol, in
Search of a Northwest Passage, in 1631-32 Two volumes of hardback books published in
1894, including maps. The 526 & 450 page books can be read
on-line at... https://archive.org/stream/voyagescaptainl01wattgoog#page/n11/mode/2up https://archive.org/stream/cihm_11871#page/n11/mode/2up |
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The Bryant and May Museum of Fire-making Appliances This 225 page catalogue of exhibits in the
Bryant and May Museum of Fire Making Apliances, was written by Miller Christy
and published by the Company in 1913. Two later versions were published and
several related publications and articles were also produced by him. See the Miller
Christy literary list... |
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Catalogue of British Birds (1891) This is a bibliography of all the bird books
and articles published in the British Isles at that time, organised in order
of county. The 45 pages booklet can be read on-line
at... http://www.unz.org/Pub/ChristyMiller-1891 |
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The Bull Inn at Long Melford a 20-page booklet Commissioned and published by Trust Houses
Ltd. in 1928 |
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Alfriston and its Star Inn Commissioned and published by Trust Houses,
Ltd. in 1928. "A
20 page colour and black and white illustrations paperback, one colour tipped
in print to fronts piece, the author died shortly before publication details the
history and illustrates some of the architectural features of the Inn". See... Colour
photo & 1st page |
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Manitoba Described (1885) "Being
a Series of General Observations Upon the Farming, Climate, Sport, Natural
History and Future Prospects of the Country". As a young man Miller Christy spent a year
in Manitoba, Canada and this book is about that region is one of his
earliest. The 208 page book can be read on-line at... http://peel.library.ualberta.ca/bibliography/1407/4.html He also wrote Notes on the Land & Freshwater
Mollusca of Manitoba in 1885. |
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Man-Traps and Spring-Guns This article first
appeared in the Windsor Magazine,
vol.13 published in 1901. It is 7 pages long. A 6-page version of the article
in Outing in 1902 can be read
on-line and downloaded at... https://digital.la84.org/digital/collection/p17103coll2/id/13206/rec/1 |
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Rockall Royal Scottish
Geographical Society, Islands of the Atlantic, 1898, 12-pages long. Monthly Weather
Review, July 1898... "Christy
suggests that it would be feasible to moor a light-ship on some portion of
Rockall Bank and utilize that as a meteorological station.... Mr. Christy
estimates the cost of the suhmarine cahle at 35,000 or 40,000 pounds; the
annual expense of maintenance of the Iight-ship would undoubtedly be large,
but still feasible, anid in the end economical, considering its value to
British marine. " The 21-page
article (p392-p413) can be read at... https://archive.org/stream/scottishgeograph14scotuoft#page/n438/mode/1up/ The facing page at the beginning of the
article has a fine... drawing of Rockall |
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The mineral waters and medicinal springs of Essex, co-authored with Mat Thresh, initially
published in 1910 by the Essex Field Club 67-pages long. |
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In total, 12 books,
3 booklets, 11 biographies and 79 articles written by Miller Christy have
been found to date. Dates,
titles and publishers are given in... Miller Christy literature list there may be many more ___________________________________________________________________ |
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