The Dutch Congregation in Canvey Island

Extracts from The Surveyors Book

The following has been extracted from the Surveyors book of 1742-1789. In 1881 the book was in the custody of Henry William King who was the Hon. Sec. of the Essex Archeological Society. He undertook to add his research on the Dutch families to the book. The following is part of that work.

Although it is certain that the Dutch came into the Island under their Engineer Joas Croppenburgh in 1622, or at the latest in 1623, the first notice of this congregation in the records of the Dutch church in London is on the 3rd of September 1641, when they were represented at the synodheld in London by their minister Mr Cornelius Jacobsen and their elder Peter Priem. At the synod in 1644 they were represented by their minister Mr Abraham Busk and in 1647 by their minister Mr Daniel Katelar. In 1655 the following persons held the offices of elders decisions to Anthonius Diericksen, Peter Priem, Gilles Van belle, Stephen de Kien and a paper dated 2 Sep 1655 is signed b

In addition to the above I had collected the following names of persons belonging to the Dutch Colony on the Island.

The above is the most complete and authentic list of Dutch who were on the Island that has yet been collected – but it takes not into account wives and children – with exception that I have given one widow as the representative of a deceased husband. By the close of the 17th century the Dutch names disappear with perhaps a few exceptions.

It is with grateful thanks to Henry King for his work without it part of our history would have been lost forever.

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