Send a message to the person who requested a photo of the grave monument of John Chignell with the following comment:
I am trying to research my family tree. Essex is the dominant county for our surname, but there are comparatively few of us now. Probably around 500 worldwide. Colchester is the dominant location, but I am starting to form the view that our ancestors were non-conformist and hounded by authorities with some ending up at Bradwell, where the sea is the only option. I think that the name comes from Chignall Smealy and Chignall St James. Up to around 1860 the a and the e in the names seem interchageable but were standardised around that time. Any information on ancestors bearing the name is useful.