Repentance

Rob Brooks' 'survey' of Victorian letter boxes included one at the former Drill House pub at Stanford Rivers. At one time the box included the word "4 - Repentance".

A letter from D S Rixon of Theydon Bois in the September 1962 edition of the 'Essex Countryside' magazine, mentions that he was told by the landlord at the time that "the four fields around the inn were called Repentance Fields and there is also a cottage nearby called Repentance Cottage".

In the book, 'Essex Curiosities' (Spur, 1973), Derek Johnson referred to the pub as being in the hamlet of Repentance, an area where "wrongdoers worked the fields as a penance instead of going to prison". Its inn sign at the time portrayed "one of the penitents at work".

Mr Rixon also tells this story in his letter adding, "This is very interesting, and, should like to know if it is true".

Well folks, is it true or should we be forgiven for following another tall story?