I started researching the Alexander family in 1998. So far I have been able to trace the family back through 14 generations to Robert Alexander.
The earliest date that is definitely linked to my ancestors appeared in a Manorial Document and is dated 21st April 1509. There are scattered records of the surname (including variants) in tax records and land conveyance records that date back to 1319.
The task now is to try and determine where the family had come from prior to their arrival in Wickham Bishops in 1509. As they had money to acquire land and to pay tax at that time, they must hopefully be recorded in earlier documents.
One option is to start searching through manorial documents, or court rolls of the surrounding parishes before 1509. The National Archives are in the process of producing the Manorial Document Register (MDR), and currently are working on a register for Essex. Once this has been completed, it will make searching for the surviving documents much easier.
One tantalising piece of evidence come from the neighbouring parish of Langford, and dates from 1319. The records show that Richard Alesonder paid eight pence farthing in tax. It would be nice to think that Richard is a direct ancestor of Robert, but the connection has to be proven first.