Father Christmas may have been laid to rest in Essex 450 years ago

New evidence emerged suggest that Father Christmas died on May 30, 1564 and was buried in Essex.

He was laid to rest in a churchyard in the village of Dedham, Essex, Daily Express reported. An entry in the parish record for that month, reads: "The 30th Day, Father Christmas was buried". A spokesperson for Essex Records Office confirmed it was no joke and that careful research had uncovered a whole host of Christmas family members living in Essex.

Christmas was not an uncommon surname in this area around that time and title "father" was most likely the usage given in the Oxford English Dictionary as "a respectful title given to an old and venerable man," spokesperson further added.

Essex entries for the Christmas family include a father and son bailiffs firm working in Colchester in the early 1500s.