Programme for 2016

‘Cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey’

No, it's not as coarse and rude as it might appear! This very common description of the British winter weather actually comes from the times when the navy fought with cannon balls. These were…

“Good Essex” A poem by G. Sarham

Our Essex is no high land, wild In vaunt of lakes and vales, Or mountain - brooks or spumey cliffs, Or tarns, or moors, or vales; Of Essex, hence, we seldom boast - Nor…

“A Historical Walk around Tawney and Mount” by Anne Padfield

Anne Padfield led members on a well-prepared circular walk around Stapleford Tawney and Theydon Mount. Starting at Little Tawney Hall with its hexagonal barn, the party visited The Old Rectory, dating from the 16th…

“A Policeman’s Lot – Policing in Victorian Essex” by Martyn Lockwood

This very entertaining talk presented the progress of the police force in Essex from the early 1800’s. The talk described the slow acceptance of the police at first, by the “rich”, who had to…

“Chapels in Essex” – by Rosalind Kaye

This book is subtitled Chapels and Meeting Houses in the County of Essex, including Outer London. The book contains four directories of such buildings, those still standing and those demolished but not replaced, for…

“Dick Turpin – Fact or Fiction”

It was one of those evenings - dark, cold and forbiddingly foggy. It was just such evening when highwaymen might have appeared in Epping Forest. Without thought for their safety, and clutching their purses…

“Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”

In recent months a blue plaque has appeared on No. 10 Castle Street, Ongar, which reads:- Jane Taylor 1783 – 1824 Author of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star Lived here. Jane was the second daughter…

101 Uses of a Church Porch: Stanford Rivers South Porch use for “habitacion” in 1600

I have just come across the following unusual use of the church porch at Stanford Rivers. It is in A Series of Precedents and Proceedings in Criminal Cases from the Act Books of the…

16th Century Greensted Wills

John Gladwine 19 April 1563 To be buried in Greenstead [-juxta Ongar] churchyard. To Alice my wife my house in Birchanger for her life; after her decease, to be sold, the money to be…

1841 Census – Stanford Rivers

The census is a survey taken every 10 years to collect information on the population of the United Kingdom. From 1801 to 1831 the censuses were simply head counts with no personal information on…

1901 Census Online at the Family Records Centre

The 1901 Census returns for England and Wales was released over the Internet on the 2 January 2002. They will be viewable anywhere with Internet access, including the Family Records Centre (FRC). If you…

400th Anniversary of St Michael’s, Theydon Mount

“For Two yeeres we had none Christened in o[u]r Church because it was so long in building after it was burnt.” So wrote the Rector of Theydon Mount Church, Thomas Juby, in the old…

A Deodnad in the Hundred of Ongar . . . ?

To be sidetracked in the Essex Record Office is so easy. Attention can wander. Mine wandered . . . wandered to an unrelated article, A Deodand in the Hundred of Ongar. What is a…

A Fund Raising Opportunity – GREENSTED PARISH CHURCH 1013-1913 900th Anniversary Commemoration

Greensted Hall, Ongar, Essex March 1913 Dear Sir (or Madam) We venture to ask for your support as a neighbour on the occasion of the 900th anniversary of the foundation of Greensted Church. A…

A Guide to St Martin’s Church, Ongar

Where in Ongar would you go to find a connection between the Suffragette movement, Oliver Cromwell and Boodles Gentlemen’s Club in London? No this is not a question from the quiz show Only Connect…

A History of Epping Drinking Fountain

People living in Epping between 1961 and 1988 will remember a High Street totally devoid of any drinking fountain. What is the fountain’s History? Why was it erected? Where and when did it disappear?…

A Jubilee Evening of Reminiscences of the 1950s

The Annual General Meeting of the High Country History Group was held on the 29th March, 2002. At the meeting, members of the group were requested to bring to the meeting some object which…

A Local Forest Inquisition

Accounts of court actions present an unfavourable perspective on lawlessness in the Forest. Records of good citizenship do not balance these accounts! However, the actions do provide testament to the application of justice, which…

A Macabre Heritage in our Language

There is an old Hotel/Pub in Marble Arch, London, which used to have a gallows adjacent to it. Prisoners were taken to the gallows (after a fair trial of course) to be hanged. The…

A Mystery!

It is not usual to find the names of women on war memorials, yet on the 1939-45 memorial in St Margaret’s Church, Stanford Rivers, there are two. Joyce D.P.Hillbrown, and Theodora A. Metcalf. These…

A notable rector of Stanford Rivers

Richard Montague, rector from 1613 to 1628, was presented to the living by James 1 and was prominent in the religious turmoil which ultimately led to the Civil War. In 1624, in his own…

A Pauper Letter

[714] From Thomas Kellnby in Springfield Gaol [Chelmsford] to the overseer Theydon Mount [1831] Spingfield Convict Gaole April 20th 18[31] Sir/ I Thearfore address you with thise letter to inform you that I have…

A Pictorial Review of the Lavers

The Lavers History Group have published a collection of photographs and postcards of High Laver, Little Laver and Magdalen Laver. Including the front cover, there are 55 illustrations. The views mostly depict buildings, but…

A Policeman’s Lot

Horse stealing was a serious rural crime. In 1885, the Chief Constable of Essex, William Pointz, recorded an incident in Ongar: A man rode into Ongar late at night on a horse with: Only…

A SHORT HISTORY OF COPPED HALL

Although some distance from the High Country situated to the north west of Epping, Copped Hall stands on a ridge to the other side of the town. It is also situated on the second…

A Symbolic Alliance Between Local Recusants?

In 1623 the manor of Stanford Rivers was sold to William 3rd Baron Petre. He settled the estate on his second surviving son, William Petre, who occupied the manor house known as Bellowes or…

A tribute to Doris Messinger 1918-2014

Doris Messinger (nee Padfield) was a member of the High Country History Group from the outset and until her death. She died on the 12th June 2014. Her family have given permission for the…

A Victorian  Celebration of Christmas

For thousands of years people around the world have enjoyed midwinter festivals. With the arrival of Christianity, pagan festivals became mixed with Christmas celebrations. One of the traditions is the custom of bedecking houses…

A Victorian Antiquarian’s Scrapbook

As a member of the Library Committee of the Essex Society for Archaeology and History I have taken on a task, with others, of sorting the contents of an office at, what could be…

A Victorian Antiquarian’s Scrapbook

In Journal No. 39 (March 2011) I reported on the rediscovery in the Essex Society for Archaeology and History office of a Victorian Gentleman’s scrapbook. The work contains several drawings of local churches which…

A Victorian Antiquarian’s Scrapbook Addendum

In Journal No. 39 (March 2011) I reported on the rediscovery in the Essex Society for Archaeology and History office of a Victorian Gentleman’s scrapbook. The work contains several drawings of local churches which…

A View of Stanford Rivers 1866 (A visit to Isaac Taylor)

A few years ago, I set out on a winter afternoon to pay my first visit to Stanford Rivers. At that time, the most convenient way of reaching it from the metropolis was by…

A Walk – Stanford Rivers in 1840

Thursday, 6th September The Ongar Millennium History Society has requested a repeat of the walk - “Stanford Rivers in 1840” This was one of the inaugural High Country History Group walks, held twelve years…

A Walk Around the High Country

Just in case you suffer with an excess of good cheer this year, you might wish to exercise. The total distance of the walk shown below is just over 6 miles. From the rear…

A Walk to Norton Mandeville from High Ongar

Nineteen members of the High Country History Group met in High Ongar. A hint of rain was in the air. Anybody might have suggested the group was headed for the Alps but the slopes…

Advertisement – ONGAR UNION

Persons willing to CONTRACT for the supply of Bread, Flour, and Meat as Out Relief, and at the Workhouse, for Three Calendar Months; and for Grocery, Beer and Coals, Wine and Spirits, Drapery, Hats,…

After Dinner Anecdotes – (Errata)

In Journal No. 41 (September 2011), I misquoted the dates when Rectors of Stondon Massey were incumbents. The parish was served by only five clergymen during a two hundred year period: Revd. Thomas Smith…

After Dinner Anecdotes Introduction – 1881

In 1881 Edward Henry Lisle Reeve (known as Lisle to his family) had just completed his University studies to become a Minister of Religion in the Church of England. He was 23 years of…

Ahnentafel Numbers

Now what might you ask is an Ahnentafel Number? If you are interested in family history then this is for you. An Ahnentafel is a list of one's ancestors with each one numbered in…

Aircraft Accident

Whilst on the subject of World War II, I have for some time been trying to find out details of an accident involving two American aircraft that collided over Tawney Common in 1944, causing…

Alleged Hoarding at Hill Hall Both Summonses Dismissed

At Epping Petty Session on Friday, before A.J. Edwards Esq. (chairman), Sir Victor Buxton, Bart., E.A. Ball, A. W. Leech, W.W. Nicholls, P.g. Thompson, C. W. Skinner, and E. J. Wythes, Esqrs., Mary Hunter,…

Amelius Mark Richard, 1st Baron Lambourne (1847-1928)

An Acting Committee

The group is currently in a “chicken and egg” situation: rules are being written, but a team is needed to progress both rules and activities. Volunteers were invited following the December issue of the…

An Airfield at Fyfield

An American Tragedy 1935

SEVENTY-FIVE years ago this week two tradesman looked into the Upminster sky and saw what appeared to be a couple of packages falling from a passing aeroplane. They were two gas-fitter, George Watling and…

An Appeal for Information

I have had an enquiry from Yorkshire from Barry Wood, the owner and restorer of an Aveling & Porter traction engine. This engine was bought new in 1872 by Mr R B Mugleston who…

An Appeal for Information: about a Mr Mugleston who took the tenancy of Littlebury Farm in Stanford Rivers in the 1870s

An Eccentric and his Deserted Mansion

An Essex Grave Revealed

The man who cuts the grass in the churchyard of St Nicholas’, Fyfield, recently had the alarming experience of stepping back and falling into a hole which opened beneath him. Thankfully, he was not…

Anglo-Scotish Migration Database

Anglo-Scottish Migration Database

I am writing to you on behalf of the University of Manchester. As you may be aware, we are currently engaged in an exciting project, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, entitled…

Annales of England – John Stow

The following are extracts from a book published in 1605, the year of John Stow’s death. The book is introduced as “A BRIEFE DESCRIPTION OF ENGLAND, SCOTLAND, WALES AND CORNWALL”, set out in chronological…

Anniversaries

Apart from the 100th anniversary of the commencement of the Great War on the 4th August, there are a number of other notable anniversaries occurring in 2014. 70th Anniversary of D. Day. (6th June)…

Anniversaries in 2017

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Some 49 members attended the AGM held on the 23 March at Toot Hill. It was followed by two short talks by Anne and Rob Brooks and the evening rounded off with wine and…

Annual General Meeting

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING The meeting attracted some 40+ members. The following were elected for the forthcoming year: Chairman: Rob Brooks Secretary: Shirley Fisher Treasurer: Vacant Newsletter Editor: Martyn Lockwood Committee: Anne Padfield Patrick Griggs…

Annual General Meeting – “The 1950’s”

The participation of members is required at the AGM! Last year, the AGM was accompanied by cheese and wine. This will be repeated. However, this year all members attending will be asked to bring…

Annual General Meeting – 2013

Our Annual General Meeting was held on the 25th April and some 40 members were in attendance. The following were elected as officers of the Club: Chair: Martyn Lockwood Secretary: Andrew Smith Treasurer: David…

Annual General Meeting & “School Days”

The Annual General Meeting of the High Country History Group will be held on Thursday, 24 March 2011, commencing at 8.00pm. Following the AGM, we intend to hold an evening where members have the…

Annual General Meeting 2004

Some 49 members attended the Annual General Meeting in March. Following the business of the evening, a number of members gave short talks on ancestors they had discovered. All were fascinating and it is…

Annual General Meeting 2005

Another New Online Resource – Essex Ancestors

‘Essex Ancestors’ is a pay-per-view service offered online by the Essex Record Office displaying images (not transcripts) of parish registers (baptisms, marriages and burials). The service was originally free of charge, although not as…

Another notable rector of Stanford Rivers – Henry Tattam

Many distinguished clerics, en route to higher promotions, passed through the rectory of Stanford Rivers. One of the more unlikely holders of the living, the Rev. Henry Tattam 1789-1868), was presented by the Crown…

ANSWERS TO THE QUIZ

1. Thomas Greville 2. Fountain built outside the village school. 3. 1836 4. He had been hanged for burglary. 5. Field consisting of gravel soil ‘on which a goose would starve’ 6. Rev Edward…

Apotrophic Marks

Archives on Line

The Access to Archives (A2A) on line catalogue allows you to find material held in over 300 repositories across England. It also enables you to obtain copies of documents. The Public Record Office, The…

Attack on a Constable

At Ongar on Saturday George Day of Waterloo Terrace, Bethnal Green, was charged with grievously wounding, and Joseph Hill of Duckett Street, Stepney, with assaulting Constable Henry Lindsey. According to the evidence a party…

Award for Bravery

Charles William Dunn joined the Essex Constabulary in April 1892 (as Constable 286) and during his short service he was stationed for a time at both Ongar and Epping. On the 15 June 1899…

Benefactors to the Poor of Stapleford Tawney

A Rent Charge of £5 left by Thomas Luther to be paid out of the estate of Mrs Jones. A moiety of this estate has been sold to Sir W. Bowyer Smijth, Bt., who…

Bert Burton

Doug Burton, a member of the High Country History Group, dropped in to me a small collection of medals, photographs and sports programmes. The collection all relates to the interest in competitive cycling of…

Bin Ends!

It is surprising what you come across when carrying out research. The following items are just a few. Essex Assizes - July 19th 1839. Edward Ayley, 27 years, a labourer, pleaded guilty to stealing…

Blackmore War Memorial Recarved

Blackmore’s ninety year old War Memorial has recently been cleaned and re-engraved with the names of those who enlisted for King and Country during the First World War. In total there are 102 names…

Book Review

Book Review – “All Are Welcome”

The District of Ongar Council of Churches has produced a Millennium Guide to the churches in and around Ongar. The booklet has 24 pages packed with information and colour photographs, including all the churches…

Book Review – “ESSEX FARMING 1900-2000” by Peter Worrell

The author has been writing about agriculture in the county for more than 50 years and this book demonstrates how farming has diversified over the last century. Available through Abberton Books, Colchester, CO5 7NA.

Book Review – Field Systems in Essex

John Hunter, (The Essex Society for Archaeology and History, 2003), pp. 41, £5.95 including postage and packing. The book is the first in a New Series of Occasional Papers celebrating 150 years of the…

Book Review – Murder & Crime Essex by Martyn Lockwood

An in-depth look at many of the county’s worst crimes and criminals This chilling collection of true stories brings together a number of murders and other horrible crimes that have taken place in Essex…

Book Review – Murder & Crime, Essex

There are probably more murders in this book than in Midsomer. Martyn Lockwood has brought together an anthology of the ‘best’ of Essex murders. The book draws on sources within the Essex Police Museum…

Book Review – Ongar Time Line – Ongar through the ages

The Ongar Millenium History Society have produced a fascinating booklet which give dates in the history and development of Ongar from 900 – 2004. The booklet is illustrated with many views from Ongar’s past.…

Book Review – The Love of a Brother

Many of you will recall the article in the October 2010 edition of the Journal, the article by Martin Cearns concerning his relative who was killed in the Great War and the emotional journey…

Book Review: The 1953 Essex Flood Disaster by Patricia Reynoldson-Smith

Book Reviews

BOOK REVIEWS – The Monumental Brasses of Essex

William Lack, H. Martin Stuchfield and Philip Whittemore, (Monumental Brass Society, London, 2003), pp. 922, in two volumes. Available from Monumental Brass Society, Lowe Hill House, Stratford St Mary, Suffolk CO7 6JX (tel: 0208…

Book Reviews: (1) Colchester Castle: 2000 Years of History. (2) Jim Reeve. Secret Chelmsford.

1. Colchester Castle: 2000 Years of History Colchester Museum’s new guide book was launched in December 2015 at a special evening for ‘Castle Pass’ (season ticket) holders. The black cover is adorned by an…

Boxing Match at Ongar

From the Ipswich Journal 13 October 1787 Chelmsford October 12: Saturday last a battle was fought at Ongar, between Thomas Lloyd, of Clunn, in Shropshire, and John Smith of Toot Hill, in the parish…

Burglary at St Michael’s Church – EDWARD SMYTH, THE BOY ON THE TOMB

Readers who know Theydon Mount Church will have been shocked to hear of the serious burglary in November 2010. Amongst the items stolen was a figure from one of several 17th century monuments to…

Bygone Days

Caedmon in St Margaret’s

The article by Michael Leach in the previous issue of this Journal illuminated a little known tale of some panels of local stained glass. The story outlined the travels of the glass fragments from…

Captain Atherton Harold Chisenhale-Marsh 9th (Queen’s Royal) Lancers

Cardinall’s Musick

One of the best international early music choirs – Cardinall’s Musick - is coming to Stondon Massey on Sunday 2 September for two concerts of music by William Byrd. It forms part of their…

Centenary of Chelmsford Diocese (1914 – 2014)

Chelmsford Diocese celebrates its centenary in 2014. One hundred years ago a new Anglican diocese was formed out of the See of St Albans. The massive expansion of London during the nineteenth and early…

Centenary of The Great War

Chairman’s Letter

This is the third quarterly Newsletter of the High Country History Group. We have now set the programme for the next nine months. At the outset of the Group in April, the undertaking was…

Chairman’s Letter

Happy New Year! Towards the end of the group’s second year, one landmark has been passed. The membership of the group now stands at 41 family members and 22 individual members. That makes a…

Charity

John Reynolds of Ipswich, Gent, left to the poor of Thoydon Garnon and Epping for ever, the Rents of Lands called Thrapps in Theydon Mount.

Chelmsford Chronicle, 14th March 1834 – Sheep Stealing

So numerous have been the depredations upon sheep belonging to farmers in the neighbourhood of Chipping Ongar, that as many as 50 have been stolen within a very short period. Mr Jonathan Lewis of…

Chelmsford Chronicle, 20 March, 1840 – Ongar Union

ONGAR UNION The Board of Guardians is desirous of engaging a competent unmarried female not less than 30, no more than 45 years of age as SCHOOLMISTRESS for the Instruction of the Boys and…

Chelmsford Chronicle. 6 April 1832 – YOUTHFUL DEPRAVITY

Among those lately committed to prison we find Josiah Dow, a lad of 16 years of age, who is charged with setting fire to a parcel of Hay under the following circumstances. About 3…

Chelmsford Chronicle. December 22ND 1834 ONGAR ASSOCIATION FOR THE PROSECUTION OF OFFENDERS

A General Meeting of the Members of this Association will be held in the Town Hall in Chipping Ongar, on Saturday 3rd January 1835, at three o’clock precisely for the purpose of auditing the…

Chelmsford Chronicle. June 3rd 1836 – Stanford Rivers

To be sold by auction by James Haslam two desirable and substantial timber built messuages in four tenements with Bakehouses and Ovens, a Butchers Shop, three sheds, excellent well of water, productive gardens and…

Chelmsford Chronicle. October 24th 1834 – ESSEX QUARTER SESSIONS

Sarah Twights was convicted of stealing from the person of George Flack labourer of Stanford Rivers, a purse containing a sovereign and 7s 6d in silver. Prosecutor was drinking in the tap-room of the…

Chipping Ongar

Chipping Ongar was one of the first Conservation Areas to be designated by the County Council and contains over 100 listed buildings and other structures. The town was the administrative centre of the Saxon…

Cholera Outbreak at Thoydon

Freeman's Journal and Daily Commercial Advertiser, Dublin, October 16th, 1865. Her Majesty’s Privy Council have now ordered an official enquiry to be made into the nature of the pestilence now raging at Thoydon, near…

Chris Morris, A Landworker’s Struggle: an Epping Autobiography 1913-1990

Chris Morris was born to a single mother in 1913. He lived all his life in the South Woodford and Epping area. His father was believed to have been lost when the Lusitania was…

Christmas Eve 1886

Christmas Eve, 1886. – A day snatched from the frost by a few keen sportsmen. The frost was certainly not out of the groun at 11 a.m., but “fortune favours the brave,” and my…

Christmas in the Trenches

Nick Dobson gave a marvellous talk to the High Country History Group on this topic drawing on original sources by way of illustration. The Christmas truce of 1914 has become a legendry halt in…

Church Chest – St Margaret’s Stanford Rivers

A very ordinary chest in the vestry of this church, is upon examination found to be of remarkable interest. It is a thirteenth century chest which has undergone so great a metamorphosis that its…

Church Dedications

I have recently read The Church Dedications and Saints’ Cults of Medieval Essex by Dr Janet Cooper, editor of the Victoria County History of Essex, and it showed some interesting facts about the church…

Church Heritage in Essex

The Diocese of Chelmsford, which was created in 1914, has over 600 churches of which 410 represent medieval parishes. Although the Diocese includes those parts of Essex now in Greater London, the modern county…

Churchwarden’s Presentments 1750 to 1826 for Greensted, Stanford Rivers, Stapleford Tawney and Theydon Mount

Churchwardens Presentments 1750 to 1826

A continuous run of Churchwardens Presentments from 1664 to 1842 for most Essex parishes can be found in the Guildhall Library manuscripts section. Until 1826, the questions were straightforward. Each was pre-printed with gaps…

Civil Registration Districts for Ongar

Birth Deaths and Marriages were required to be registered from 1837. The country was split up into a number of registration districts of which Chipping Ongar was one. Created on the 1st July 1837.…

Clothing Club Stanford Rivers

On Monday last clothing to the amount of £115 was distributed among the poor by the Clothing Club at Stanford Rivers, which has been established ten years.

Coach Accident

A most distressing accident occurred at Harlow, on Friday night, about seven o’clock. The two-horse coach, on its way from London to the Green Man, whilst turning a corner within a very short distance…

Commercial and Mail Coaches at Epping

To London The Stortford Coach at 5p.m. The Fakenham at 8a.m. The Norwich Coach at 9a.m. The Cambridge “Times” at 10a.m. The Cambridge Coach at 2p.m. The Bury Coach at 11p.m. The Swaffham Coach…

Coopersale House, Theydon Garnon – an enigma

The December 2013 Journal provided the later history of Coopersale House. Its earlier history is equally interesting, though it raises a number of unanswerable questions. The early origins of the house are obscure. The…

Copped Hall

A number of members, and some non-members, have already indicated their wish to visit Copped Hall on Sunday, 1st October. A short letter accompanies this Newsletter to each of those members, individual or family.…

Cowman to Major: the story of Major James William Joseph Millar, D.S.O., D.C.M.

REMARKABLE ARMY CAREER GREENSTED MAN’S MODESTY “ESSEX CHRONICLE” SPECIAL Unique as were the fortunes which war thrust upon many people, it is doubtfull whether the records of two ex-sodiers at Greensted near Ongar, can…

Craven Ord, FRS, FSA, of Greenstead Hall, Antiquary and Brass Rubber

Craven Ord was born in London in 1756, the younger son of Harry Ord, of the King's Remembrancer's office, and Anne, daughter of Francis Hutchinson of Barnard Castle, Durham. His uncle, Robert Ord was…

Cricket at Stapleford Tawney

MATCH AT PASSINGFORD, ESSEX. An interesting game was played at the Talbot Inn, Passingford-bridge, Essex on the 30th August, between two sides chosen by the Messrs. B. and S. Cooper. Score:- Mr S. Cooper’s…

Crime Watch! – 1851

From the Essex Standard 3 January 1851 Ongar Petty Session – Dec 28 Before J.F. Wright, Esq., Capel Cure, Esq., Rev. H.J. Earle, and the Rev. R. B. Turner HIGHWAY ROBBERY – Thomas Hagg,…

Curacy at Stanford Rivers

CHARLES JAMES by DIVINE PERMISSION Bishop of London. To our beloved in CHRIST Richard Thomas Clerk, Greeting. We do by these Presents give and grant unto you in whose Fidelity, Morls, Learning, sound Doctrine…

Dating Hedges with Anne Brooks

The chilly midsummer weather relented sufficiently to make our walk along the hedgerows a pleasant and instructive afternoon stroll To the casual uninformed eye a hedge is just a line of trees and shrubs…

Death of a Miser – The Times Jan 31 1837

On Wednesday an old tiler, who resided at Ongar, in Essex, died of the prevailing epidemic, leaving £7,000 in cash and notes, and a similar amount invested in the Bank of England. The deceased…

Death of Sir William Bowyer Smijth, Bart (1814 – 1883)

Sir William Bowyer Smijth, of Hill Hall, Epping, died on Tuesday, Nov 20, at Twineham Court, near Brighton, in his 69th year. The late baronet was the eldest son of the late Sir Edward…

Dedication of Church at Theydon Mount

The double dedication of the Church in this parish, left blank by Newcourt, occurs in the Register of Papal Letters, V. 277. In the year 1400 a relaxation of one hundred days of enjoined…

Donation to Victoria County History of Essex

Your committee is mindful of the need to occasionally support those organisations and projects that actively promote local history. Using primary historical sources, The Victoria County History is writing the history of the counties…

Dr. Livingstone I Presume!

David Livingstone was sent to Chipping Ongar in 1838 as part of his training to become a missionary. He resided at what is now Livingstone Cottages in the High Street, for more than a…

Editorial

Several members of the group went on the trip to Ypres from the 3rd to the 5th of September, with Major Graeme Cooper as our guide. During the three days we visited many of…

Epping and Ongar Railway

The Beginning In 1856 The Eastern Counties Railway (ECR), which later became part of the Great Eastern Railway (GER) opened a double track railway between Stratford and Loughton. A single-track extension between Loughton and…

Epping Forest District Council Coat of Arms

ARMS: Argent a Cross engrailed Sable over all a Bugle Horn ensigned with an Ancient Crown Or on a Chief Vert four Axeheads bendwise Argent. CREST: On a Wreath Argent and Gules upon a…

Epping Workhouse and the case of Mary Ann Reid

Epping Guardians Minutes - Minute of 21-8-1846 The following letter relating to the Case of Mary Ann Reid - received from the Poor law Commissioners having been read to the Board was ordered to…

Essay Written by a 10 Year Old Evacuee

The cow is a mammal. It has six sides, right, left, an upper and below. At the back it has a tail, on which hangs a brush. With this it sends flies away so…

Essex Archaeological Society visit to the High Country in 1908

Essex Churches Then and Now: a talk to be given by the Essex Society for Archaeology and History on 27 April 2017

Essex Dialect and Accent – Part 1

The way in which Essex people speak has changed over the years, none more so than in the last generation. This is true even in Yorkshire where the hardened localised accent has become more…

Essex Dialect and Accent – Part 2

Durrant’s ‘Handbook For Essex’ was published in Chelmsford in 1887, written by Miller Christy. It is mainly a parish by parish guide but its introductory pages contain fascinating information about Victorian Essex. One section…

Essex Excavations

A brief note of two new booklets which give information on two excavations in the county. ‘The Colchester Archaeologist Vol. 27 (2013/14)’, 50pp, £3.95, produced by the Friends of Colchester Archaeological Trust, includes a…

Essex History Group

ESSEX HISTORY GROUP

The Group meets at the Essex Record Office on the first Tuesday of the month and meetings are open and free to all. The programme for 2012 is detailed below. January 3 Borobadur and…

Essex Hymn Writers (Pt 1)

The following article will appear in the next edition of the Essex Family Historian. It was a discussion about the hymn writer John Ellerton, who wrote the “The Day Thou Gavest Lord is Ended”,…

Essex Hymn Writers Part II

Essex Place Names. A review of the recent talk.

The origin and meaning of Essex Place Names was the subject given by Paul Mardon, Publicity Officer of the Essex Place Names Project, to the High Country History Group recently. The Project is said…

Essex Quarter Sessions Order Book (1652 – 1661)

Stanford Rivers: Whereas it appeareth unto this Court, upon Complaint made by the Inhabitants of Stanford Rivers in this County, that Susan Hamond, spinster, Covenant servant with Thomas Simonds [th]e younger of that parrish,…

Essex Quarter Sessions Order Book 1652-1661

Stanford Rivers Whereas it appeareth unto this Court, upon Complaint made by the Inhabitants of Stamford Rivers in this County, That Susan Hamond, spinster, Covenant servant with Thomas Simonds [th]e younger of that parish,…

Essex Records Office

The following may be of interest to those of you who are contemplating carrying out research at the Essex Record Office in Chelmsford. The sessions are intended to help you find your way around…

Essex Royalist Clergy – and Others

There is a long letter from Simon Lynch, the third of the name. (MSS, J Walker. C.I.27.) He speaks first of his grandfather, Simon Lynch, of North Weald, included in Fuller’s Worthies. ‘My grandfather…

Essex To be SOLD by AUCTION By SAMUEL SECKHAM

At Mr. JOHN TANNER’S, the Globe Inn, Epping by order of the Executor and Executrix of Mr. Stephen Jones, deceased, on Friday the 17th of August 1787, at Two o’clock precisely in TWO LOTS.…

Essex Wills

Essex Witch Trials

In medieval times many people believed that unexpected events such as a cow dying were the result of witches. Criminal action began in 1521 when the Pope Leo X issued a papal bull enabling…

Ex-Inspector Weeden Dies

Executions at Springfield Prison

And may the Lord have mercy . . . "The sentence of the Court upon you, is that you be taken from this place to a lawful prison and thence to a place of…

Extensive Fire at Greensted

Family History Books Collection

Fare Discrimination – From the Church Magazine of Greensted, February 1927

Reverend Ralph W. Doyle (editor) turns his pen to railways . . . “There are constant complaints about the train service and comfortless carriages – all out of date. In Germany there are better…

Farming in Stapleford Tawney 1902

Mr Harry Sworder, of Tawney Hall, Stapleford Tawney, where the soil is mixed with heavy clay subsoil, whose large farm I visited, complained much of labour troubles. He said that he could not get…

Fire at the Blue Boar, Abridge

Early this morning a fire broke out at the Blue Boar Inn, Abridge, by which the house, furniture, plate, and stock in trade, were entirely consumed. Mr Mansfield, the landlord, his wife, and other…

First World War Trunk returns to North Weald Station

A trunk which once belonged to Nellie Louisa Dawes (1902-1991) of Kiln Road, North Weald, has been donated by my family to the village station where her father was employed. Nellie left school at…

Firstly I must apologise

Firstly I must apologise for the delay in issuing this newsletter. Having moved house in July I have at last found time to sit down and put it all together. I can assure you…

FOR THE UNITED PARISHES OF STAPLEFORD TAWNY & THEYDON MOUNT – 18

FOR THE UNITED PARISHES OF STAPLEFORD TAWNY & THEYDON MOUNT To be paid to the Rector of the Parishes aforesaid AND APPROVED OF BY THE BISHOP OF THE DIOCESE _________ MARCH 1831 _________________________________ £…

For Your Diary

Visit to Copped Hall Look Back in Ongar

Forthcoming Events

FORTHCOMING EVENTS Thursday 13 April – 8.00 pm Toot Hill Village Hall “A Policeman’s Lot” – Policing in Victorian Essex Illustrated talk by Martyn Lockwood Wednesday 24 May – 10.30 am (Meet at Little…

Forthcoming Events

Forthcoming Events for Your Diary

Forthcoming Events for Your Diary A Visit to Copped Hall 2.30pm, Sunday, 1st October (Meet at the gates of Copped Hall at 2.30pm; the gates are off the Upshire road.) A guided tour of…

Fred Cearns – from Plaistow to Passchendaele

For many years there was a private book on my family’s shelves. I did not know of its existence until some five years ago when I was turning out my parents’ house. I discovered…

From the Greensted Registers

From The Papers

Chelmsford Chronicle 23 October 1868 Stanford Rivers – Fire. At half-past 12 on Friday morning a fire broke out at a water and steam mill, Stanford Rivers, belonging to Mr Kynaston, and in the…

From The Papers

From The Papers

The Stamford Mercury 6 July 1738. Last week two highwaymen were apprehended at a public house at Ongar, and being carried before one of his Majesty’s Justices of the Peace for the said County…

From the Papers

Chelmsford Chronicle - Friday 28 April 1939 AWARD FOR GALLANTRY The Silver Cross has been awarded by the Boy Scouts’ Association to Tenderfoot Scout William Twynham, aged eleven, of the Stanford Rivers Group, who…

From the Papers

Chelmsford Chronicle 19 March 1794. William West was executed for breaking into the house of Philip Martin, Esq., of Theydon Garnon, together with three accomplices (not yet apprehended) and stealing 2 gold watches, 70…

From the Papers – The 1940’s

Village Honours its War Dead. A tablet in the nave of St Margaret’s Church, Stanford Rivers, to those of the parish who “went and returned not” from the 1939-45 war was on Sunday unveiled…

Fyffe Christie (1918 -1979)

Fyffe William George Christie was born on the 2nd February 1918, in Bushey, Hertfordshire, where he spent his early childhood. His mother Ethel was English but his father was a Scot, commercial artist George…

Gaspard Le Marchant Tupper

In St Mary’s church at Stapleford Tawney is a memorial to Mary Charlotte, daughter of Sir Charles Joshua Smith Bart. The memorial shows that she was married to Colonel Gaspard Le Marchant Tupper. Mary…

Gaynes Park

There are two estates in Essex known as Gaynes Park, the Gaynes in Upminster, the seat of Henry Joslin, Esqre., and the Gaynes at Theydon Gernon. Gaynes Park, the seat of William Swaine Chisenhale…

General Election Barometer

George Eland – Historian of the Courts of Great Canfield

The following follows a short article that was written for the Newsletter of the Friends of Historic Essex. Thousands of local historians enthusiastically and diligently research and document their church, their parish, their town,…

Great War Story

Six years ago I commemorated the 90th anniversary of the end of the First World War by posting various notes about the conflict on my own history blog. On 8 September 2008 I added…

Green Man Public House, Toot Hill – an update

Greenstead and the Course of St. Edmund’s Translation

Greenstead Church by Henry Laver F.S.A

An Extract from the Transactions of the Essex Archaeological Society ‘New Series’ Volume X, Part II (1907). Henry Laver was President of the Society and read this “paper” when members visited the church on…

Greensted and the Course of St Edmund’s Translation

This seems a suitable occasion on which to say something as to the course taken by those who conveyed the remains of St. Edmund back to Beodricsworth (now Bury St. Edmonds) in A.D. 1013…

Greensted Burials

The following comments were recorded in the Register of Burials, by the Rector. 1840 – Jun 17: Edward, Edward, 44 of Bovinger with awful suddenness falling down while sharpening his scythe. 1842 – Jan…

Greensted Church and James Barlow, an historical record of his life

James Barlow was the son of Charles and Mary Barlow. He was baptised at about 2 years of age together with his younger sister Louisa on the 5thJune 1802 in Chipping Ongar. Charles died…

Greensted Hall, the Seat of Captain Budworth

Greensted Mystery

The cover of the Journal shows an oil painting of a clerical gentleman. The painting is in Greensted church (not on display) and on the reverse it has the hand written inscription, ‘The Reverend…

Greensted Mystery (Part 2)

In the June edition of the Journal we had an article about the mystery painting of the Revd. Benjamin Pratt in Greensted church. I am grateful to Michael Leach for providing the following information…

H.M. The Queen

The Queen is the fifth longest serving British(*) monarch. (She becomes the fourth longest serving monarch on the 21st June, 2002). Only four other kings and queens in British history have reigned for 50…

Hainault Forest

Harriet Archer-Houblon

Harriet was born on the 28 December 1812, the daughter of John Houblon (Archer-Houblon) and Mary Anne Bramston, who had 9 children in total. Harriet was a spinster and lived at Coopersale House, Theydon…

Hatfield Broad Oak

The Domesday Book assessed the value of Hatfield Broad Oak, then Hatfield Regis, as £85, this value was the sixth highest in the county. It was only in the early 1500s that the size…

Hazards of Seventeenth Century Travel, 1697

On 26 June 1697 Sir John Bramston, of Skreens near Roxwell, decided to visit friends at Albyns near Stapleford Tawney. His daughter had taken the coach horses to London, so he was reduced to…

Help Wanted

We have received the following letter – can anyone throw any light as to what deed AW Gardner did to receive a silver tankard? I am researching some family history and thought you might…

Heritage Information & Records

This group maintains the Essex Heritage Conservation Record (ECHR) which is a computerised database of all listed buildings and all known archaeological sites in Essex. There are well over 30,000 entries on the database…

High Country

The Ongar Hundred is exceedingly pleasant, being finely undulated, and touching at several points upon the forest. Of the part towards Epping, it was written, a hundred years ago, “It may with propriety be…

High Country History Group Summer Walk3.00pm, Saturday, June 16th

Rendezvous: 15:00; Black Bull, Fyfield, back car park (furthest from pub). Walk: Cross the Roding behind the pub and then 2 (flat) miles on the Essex Way to Willingale, led by Patrick Griggs Visit:…

High Country Strays in Stondon Massey Parish Register

I am currently writing a biography of Revd. Edward Henry Lisle Reeve (1858 – 1936), who was Rector of Stondon Massey for 42 years and a local historian. In the Essex Record Office are…

HILL HALL

Did you know Hill Hall is now open for tours? A magnificent Elizabethan mansion of national importance, Hill Hall in Theydon Mount is now fully restored and its residents well and truly settled in.…

Hill Hall and Copt Hall

Hill Hall, between Epping and Ongar, is one of the least known yet most interesting places in the county. Its splendid park and high situation provide magnificent views, and its fine approach through an…

Hill Hall, Theydon Mount – a Haunting!

From the Guardian Newspaper 26th January 2009 A Second World War veteran has broken a 60 year silence to speak about the ghostly events he witnessed while staying at a manor house. Evan Andrew,…

History and Archives Under Threat

Those paying Council Tax in Essex, will have noticed the effect of changes made by Government to the rate support grant. These changes have forced local councils to examine their budgets in order to…

History Facts

The next time you are washing your hands and complain because the water temperature isn't just how you like it, think about how things used to be. Here are some facts about the 1500s:…

Homeless in Stanford Rivers

Hue and Cry: Stanford Rivers Imprisonment for Fowl Stealing, 1897

ONGAR MAY 22 1897 Justices present: L. Pelley Chairman, F. Carter and H.E. Jones, Esqrs. Stanford Rivers: Imprisonment for Fowl Stealing Frederick Fogg and Albert Clark of Fyfield, were charged with stealing two hen,…

Humphrey Repton (1752-1818)

Repton was a pioneer in the field of landscape architecture. He was also the most famous landscape gardener of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. He created, transformed or improved over two hundred places in…

In Memoriam. Lewis Newcomen Prance

The death of the Rev. Lewis Newcomen Prance, which occurred in the middle of April [1913], has deprived our Society of an old and valued member, a constant attendant at its Council Meetings, and…

In the Footsteps of Marconi

Chelmsford can claim to be the birthplace of radio. Guglielmo Marconi (1874 - 1937) arrived in England in 1896 and took over a former silk mill in Chelmsford in 1898 and established it as…

In The News

Fire: The particulars of a fire which occurred at Park Hall, Theydon Garnon, the residence of W.C. Marsh, Esq. on the 21st ult. Having been incorrectly given, we have been favoured with an extract…

Inquest of the body of William Reed, 1788

On Tuesday another inquisition was taken at Stanford Rivers, before the said coroner (William Reynolds Esq.), on the body of Willian Reed, who was killed by excess of drinking, being at the harvest supper,…

Insolvent Debtor

The Revd. Richard Thomas, formerly of Stanford Rivers, near Chipping Ongar, in the County of Essex, clerk, curate for the parish of Stanford Rivers aforesaid, and also Chaplain to the Union House there; then…

Internet

INTERNET Love it or hate it there is a vast amount of information to be had from the Internet. The following are just a few of the sites you may find interesting. www.CyndisList.com A…

Involuntary Suicide of a Donkey at Manningtree!

I was amused by the following article reported in the Essex Newsman newspaper in 1870. A benevolent gentleman residing at Wrabness recently presented on of his neighbours, a poor cripple, with a donkey and…

James Ford, a Forgotten Essex Antiquity (1779-1850)

The Rev John Ford, B.D., a fellow of Trinity College, Oxford, and for the last twenty years of his life vicar of Navestock, where he was succeeded by the Rev William Stubbs, B.A., afterwards…

John Barnard of Stanford Rivers

In the 1841 Census, John Barnard is shown as the Licensee of the White Bear Public House in Stanford Rivers. Residing with his wife Elizabeth and 4 children. In the 1851 Census, Barnard is…

John Locke (1632-1704) at Otes, High Laver

Tercentenary In 2002, a popular BBC television series set out to discover the Greatest Briton. From a list of 100 Great Britons, viewers were invited to make their own choice. Not easy! Who was…

John Locke at Madingley Hall

Remember that this year is the tercentenary of the death of John Locke, England greatest and most influential philosopher. The Institute of Continuing Education, University of Cambridge, is organising a residential course at Madingley…

Kelly’s Directory 1833 – Coopersale

COOPERSALE, adjoining Epping, was formed into an ecclesiastical parish Oct. 22, 1852, out of the civil parish of Theydon Garnon, but for civil purposes is now principally in the parish of Epping, and still…

Kelly’s Directory of Essex 1933 – Theydon Mount

Kelly’s Directory of Essex 1933 – Stanford Rivers

STANFORD RIVERS is supposed to have derived its name from a stony ford through the river Roding; the addition, "Rivers," being derived from the family of that name who resided here in 1213; it…

Kelly’s Directory of Essex 1933 – Stapleford Tawney

STAPLEFORD TAWNEY, which has this adjunct from a family of Tany, who owned it in the reign of Henry III, is a parish, on the north side of the Roding, opposite to Stapleford Abbots,…

Kelly’s Directory of Essex 1933 – Theydon Mount

THEYDON MOUNT is a parish, on the banks of the Roding and on the London road, 3 miles southeast from Epping station on the Ongar branch of the London and North Eastern Railway, 7…

Kellys Directory of Essex 1933 – Greensted

1 mile west from Ongar terminal station on a branch of the London and North Eastern railway, 8 north-west from Brentwood and 21 from London, in the Chelmsford division of the county, Ongar hundred,…

Lambourne End

Law and Order

1642. George Neale of Stanford Rivers, labourer, at Shelley, took away out of the church, ‘the books of Common Prayer,’ worth seven shillings, belonging to the parishioners and “did burn it upp,” near the…

Leverton Charities, Waltham Abbey

I read the article on Leverton Charities, Waltham Abbey, in the High Country History Group Journal (June 2015), with considerable interest. As President of Waltham Abbey History Society, I gave a lecture on Thomas…

Leverton Charities, Waltham Abbey. A manuscript volume in private hands

Thomas Leverton (c.1743 – 1824), architect, left in his Will £6000 to be spent on charitable causes in Waltham Abbey. Invested in annuities it generated an annual dividend of £180 and was allocated as…

Life in the Loft

It is a cold house and an old house. The walls are thin. The windows let in the draught. Solar panels are not cost effective, not yet anyway, and planning permission needs to be…

Listed Buildings in the High Country – 1. Theydon Mount

Listed Buildings in the High Country, Stanford Rivers – Part 1

Local Elizabethan Wills

The Essex Record Office has now completed the publication of the series Elizabethan Wills of Essex. These twelve volumes of transcriptions are the result of the painstaking work of F. G. Emmison, a former…

Lt. Malcolm Sworder

Lt. Malcolm Sworder, officially reported killed in action, March 18, 1918, was the youngest son of Mr and Mrs Harry Sworder, of the Hall, Stapleford Tawney, and subsequently of Whittles Hall, Springfield. He was…

Mad Dog

The Essex Standard 10 August 1878 On Monday, July 29, a hay carter, named John Hunn, who was better known in the district by the name of Blondin, was taken ill while at a…

Malcolm Sworder

He was born on the 11th February, 1893 at Stapleford Tawney. He attended King Edward’s Grammar School in Chelmsford, where he received the Cadet Corps Recruits’ prize in 1907. He resided at Great Tawney…

Mashams

Many members of the High Country History Group will remember the evening visit to Mashams in High Laver two years ago. A combination of circumstances, including a reduction in the number of school visits…

Medieval Deer-Parks

On 17 July, members of the High Country History Group visited Ongar Park Wood. The weather was dull, hard to remember now in a late summer of so many warm, sunny evenings. Our guide…

Memorial to Edward, Lord Hay

The other day I wandered into the Guards Chapel in Birdcage Walk, London, and saw commemororated on the roll of honour, the name ‘Edward Hay, Lord’. In the churchyard at St Michael’s, Theydon Mount…

Memorials against the Police

Memories of ‘Forties and Fifties’ Around Ongar

Whilst I cannot claim to be an old resident of Ongar, I have had, in the past, some connections, in fact quite a few, my late cousin, Daphney Luck and her husband Ray lived…

Memories of Theydon Mount

Family I, Ernest Freshwater, son of Edward Charles Freshwater, was born in Theydon Mount on 1st January 1893.I first saw light of day in the cottage at 3 Mount End] close to what was…

Merit Badge

In 1871 the Chief Constable of Essex instituted the Merit Badge (or Star), which was to be awarded for ‘highly distinguished and discreet conduct in the discharge of their duty, particularly when accompanied with…

More about the Petres of Stanford Rivers

In the June 2015 edition of the High Country Journal, Martyn Lockwood wrote a summary of the Petre family’s association with Stanford Rivers. One paragraph refers to a dispute – which ended up in…

MORNING OR AFTERNOON MEETINGS?

Would you prefer to have an occasional meeting during the day, either morning or afternoon? Would this be more convenient during the winter months? Please let the editor have your views.

Mother and Son: Elizabeth Blount and Henry Fitzroy, born Blackmore

Two books closely related to the history of Blackmore have recently been purchased for the Library of the Essex Society for Archaeology and History. ‘Bessie Blount, Mistress of Henry VIII’ (told in the title…

Mr Charles Edward Hunter

The death occurred at his residence in London, at the age of 65, of Mr Charles E. Hunter, who was a prominent figure for many years in the Northern coal trade and North of…

Mr Edwards

Mrs Beeton’s Plain Family Dinners for December (for a middle class family with a cook and housemaid, 1861)

Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management, 1861, was a guide to all aspects of running a household in Victorian Britain. Sunday Carrot soup Roast beef, horseradish sauce, vegetables. Plum pudding, mince pies. Monday Fried…

Mrs Charles Hunter, Hill Hall

My Favourite Ancestor – a life from the First World War, Joseph Brady, contributed by Richard Brady.

This is the story of my grandfather, Joseph Brady, who was bom in Dublin, Ireland, in September 1884 and died in Loughton, knocked down by a bus in October 1943. All the information has…

My Favourite Ancestor – A touching recollection of Thomas Turner and a Post Office employee’s retirement from David Blackwell

Thomas Turner was a Pickwickian figure hailing from Forest Gate. I knew little about him until quite a short time ago, when my father suddenly offered me a notebook recording the walks made by…

My Favourite Ancestor – Anne Padfield describes the life of a notable Scottish cleric, Robert Murray McCheyne .

Born in Edinburgh in 1813, the youngest son of a Writer to the Signet (Scottish lawyer), Robert Murray McCheyne was part of the great 19th century religious revival in Scotland. A remarkable scholar, he…

My Favourite Ancestor – Anne Stewart has close links with George and Robert Stephenson, railway engineers

I and my cousins have always been made aware, by parents and relatives, that our family has a strong link with George and Robert Stephenson, the railway engineers and bridge builders. George Stephenson (1781-1848)…

My Favourite Ancestor – Bill White relates the dark deeds associated with John Thortell, of his late wife’s family, dark deeds that are still remembered in wax

These are not strictly my Ancestors, but those of my late wife. I thought they would be of interest. Seven generations, back in the 1820s, John Thortell of Norton Hall, Fakenham, was an officer…

My Favourite Ancestor – Fred Archer, the legendary jockey, contributed by Robin Fisher

My favourite and most famous relative is Fred Archer who, as any horseracing fan would know was one of the most successful jockeys this country has ever known. Fred Archer was born in 1857,…

My Favourite Ancestor – Keith Farrow remembers his grandfather, Joseph Farrow 1877 – 1948.

I don’t remember my grandfather, Joseph Farrow. He died shortly after I was born. Neither do we know much about him; family history was either taken for granted or simply not considered important in…

My Favourite Ancestor – Lieutenant Millbank, from the age of Nelson, contributed by the Chairman

Lieutenant Henry Millbank, from my wife’s family, fought at Trafalgar in 1805. At the time he was serving as Master’s Mate on board the Colossus. The Colossus was a new ship, launched at Deptford…

My Favourite Ancestor – Maurice Padfield describes the arrival in Essex of the Padfields.

The Padfields in Essex can be traced back 100 years or more. The story has to start way back in the early 1800s when times were very prosperous for the farming community. Most of…

My Favourite Ancestor – Patrick Griggs learns the origin of a firstname from Captain Spear.

t was not until I was sorting through a file of family papers that came from my father’s house that I discovered why I had the middle name of Spear and why the family…

My Favourite Ancestor – Primarily about his father’s experiences in World War Two as a member of Dad’s Army (the Home Guard) and, latterly, the BBC TV programme of the same name, Trevor Roberts recollects

My father was member of the Local Defence Force (the Home Guard) formed in 1940 as an auxiliary defence force against the threat of an invasion of the United Kingdom by German forces from…

National Library of Scotland maps

Detailed maps that offer a fascinating glimpse into how every area of England and Wales developed from Victorian times to the 1950s are now available free online via the National Library of Scotland web-site…

Never Mind The Dovecotes

When the speaker did not show at our June meeting, we had what turned out to be an impromptu history discussion among all present. It was one of those evenings you could not plan.…

New Insights into Tree Ring Dating

Tree ring dating (or dendrochronology) has been with us for a number of years. The science has helped historians understand and sometimes reinterpret the history of an individual building, and its context within a…

New Newspaper Archive is Top Resource and a Gift for all Historians

The British Library has launched online its vast newspaper archive. Visitors to the website http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk can search for entries in newspapers free of charge. Digitised copies of the originals are subject to a subscription…

News In Brief

Essex Chronicle 26th November 1824 Another most daring and impudent robbery was committed at Toothill, near Ongar, upon a farm occupied by Mrs Sarah Bailey, a widow. The stable which was locked, was broken…

Newspaper Archive is Top Resource & a Gift for all Historians

The British Library has launched online its vast newspaper archive. Visitors to the website http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk can search for entries in newspapers free of charge. Digitised copies of the originals are subject to a subscription…

No 277 Squadron RAF

No. 277 Squadron was formed on the 22nd December 1941 at Stapleford Tawney from various ASR detachments in the south of England covering the South-East coast and English Channel. It operated Lysanders and Walruses…

NOEL GAY (1898 – 1954)

Buried in St Margaret’s, Stanford Rivers, Noel Gay was a prolific composer and lyricist, responsible for many of the most popular and memorable songs in the UK during the ’30s and ’40s. Born Richard…

Norman Sworder

He was a Lieutenant in the RAF and was killed on the 17 April 1918. He was previously with the Canadian Infantry (British Columbia Regiment). He is buried at the La Targette British Cemetery,…

North Weald Memorial Museum

The last fighter squadron to use North Weald was 111 Squadron who left in 1958 and the airfield then became home to a maintenance unit. In the sixties, the aerodrome was used as a…

North Weald R.A.F. Station – “At Home”Saturday, 17thNovember 1949

TO THE PUBLIC “The general public does not have a very frequent opportunity of seeing the Royal Air Force at work, so the annual ‘At Home’ in commemoration of the Battle of Britain not…

Not In Essex

I recently edited my last church magazine after six years in the role. I included these two snippets which I came across. They don’t relate to Essex nor, I believe, are a true reflection…

Notable Anniversaries in 2015

Jan 1265 750th First English Parliament held in 1265 Jan 1965 50th Winston Churchill died May 1945 70th VE Day May 1865 150th End of the American Civil War May 1915 100th Sinking of…

Notable Anniversaries in 2016

2015 was an exciting year for historical anniversaries, with a number of landmark dates commemorated through a host of events and exhibitions. 2016 looks set to continue the trend. Feb: 100th anniversary of the…

Notes on Overseer’s Book of Accounts for 17723-1823 for Stapleford Tawney

In the year 1723 Edward Luther was Rector of this parish and signed the book at the Vestry as such. E. Smyth, of Hill Hall, also signed. At this vestry meeting a document was…

Oak Cottage, Clatterford End

The smallest house in the High Country conceals its appeal. While Sir Thomas Smyth was conceiving and building the fine Hill Hall, an artisan was eyeing a strip of waste land by the side…

Obituary – Ken Feakes

Ken was devoted to the community. He joined June Lucas to edit the High Country Magazine following the death of the Revd David Callum. The magazine presented local news, articles, and literary offerings to…

Obituary. Sir Richard Smijth, Rector of Stapleford Tawney with Theydon Mount, 1837

Jan 3. Aged 80, the Rev. Richard Smijth, Rector of Stapleford Tawney with Theydon Mount, and of Great Warley, Essex. He was the third and youngest son of the late Rev. Sri Wm. Smijth,…

Official Opening of the Stanford Rivers Fountain on the Occasion of Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee

In September 1898, Lady Cunliffe Smith opened the fountain in front of Stanford Rivers parishioners who assembled en masse,. Through the tap, water from the terra cotta fountain gushed forth “bright and clear”. Two…

Ogborne’s History of Theydon Bois and Theydon Mount 1817

On Matters Ecclesiastical!

Have you ever wondered what the difference is between a Rector and a Vicar? Well..... A Rector was originally the incumbent of a parish who received all the tithes and customary offerings and dues.…

Ongar and District Cottage Hospital, 1928-1939

During the Great War temporary Red Cross convalescent hospitals were established in the Ongar area. Blake Hall, Bobbingworth, was used by officers, whilst the Budworth Hall, Ongar, was used for other ranks. The workhouse…

Ongar Association Against Murderers, Housebreakers, Horse and Sheepstealers and Felons of every description

Until the later part of the 19th century it was the responsibility of victims of crime to finance the prosecutions of those who had committed the crime against them. This would include the witness…

Ongar District Cottage Hospital War Memorial Scheme

It is usually accepted that the Ongar Cottage Hospital was established exclusively by Dr Hackney in a bungalow at 67 Fyfield Road in September 1928, and that it was a totally separate entity from…

Ongar Radio Station – North Weald (Part 1)

Introduction. The masts of Ongar Radio Station were, for over 60 years, a familiar site to anyone travelling on the road from Ongar to North Weald. Throughout its life, it was essentially a radio…

Ongar Radio Station – North Weald 1939-85 (part 2)

The Second World War. The war- and the immediate period before brought many changes. The files are not complete but record the following events. September 1938. Instructions were issued about air raid and blackout…

Ongar Through The Centuries. 40 Little Known Facts: a booklet just published by the Ongar Millennium History Society

The Ongar Millennium History Society has just published a booklet giving forty little known facts about the town. Just two entries from the booklet:- In 1893 the Ongar annual fair was ended because the…

ONGAR UNION

Advertisement in the Chelmsford Chronicle 1849 Persons willing to CONTRACT for the supply of Bread, Flour and Meat as Out Relief and at the Workhouse for three calendar months from and after 26th March…

Ongar Union – Theydon Mount Parish

A list of paupers belonging to the above Parish who have been relieved during the Quarter ending 25th December 1837. [Also listed was the cost of providing relief for each pauper, which varied between…

Ongar Union Workhouse

Many of you will know that the old Ongar Union Workhouse at Stanford Rivers, is currently occupied by Piggotts. A planning application has been submitted to Epping Forest Council for a proposed redevelopment of…

Ongar Union Workhouse Staff 1901

The following staff was employed at the Union Workhouse at Stanford Rivers at the time of the 1901 Census: Edwin Tredwell 31 years Master Mary Margaret Tredwell 40 years Matron Edgar Catchpole 32 years…

Ongar:  A Reverie

Oh quaint old Essex town! Your sheltered ways Have fared so gently in this vale of tears; That looking back with thought of other days, One sees no change to mark the passing years.…

Ongar’s First War Memorial

I recently acquired the postcard showed below which clearly says ‘Ongar Roll of Honour.’ I was not aware such roll existed, and as far as can be ascertained it is no longer in existence.…

Ongar’s First War Memorial

Regarding ‘Ongar’s First War Memorial’, it seems that the town was not alone in commemorating those of the Great War. At Stondon Massey, the Revd. Edward Reeve wrote in his ‘Notes for a Parish…

Opening of a Jubilee Fountain at Stanford Rivers, 1898

Our Online Presence

The High Country History Group is a treasure because it brings people together not only for interesting monthly talks but also the opportunity to share over a cup of tea. In some circles this…

Paganism, early Christianity and Beauchamp Roding church

It is always interesting to speculate how the sites of towns, villages and their churches were chosen. Much of Essex is regarded as 'ancient countryside' created when small settlements were carved piecemeal out of…

Painting Stolen from Greensted Church

The picture (page 2), depicting the martyrdom of St Edmund, was stolen from St Andrew’s Church Greensted between noon and 4.30pm on Sunday, 22nd January. David Tester, the church warden who found that the…

Palaeography

Palaeography is the study of old handwriting. I have recently completed two 10-week courses learning to interpret documents in a style of handwriting known as Secretary Hand. Secretary Hand was commonly used in the…

Parish Registers of Stapleford Tawney

Registers of Stapleford Tawney. Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1558 to 1752. Fifty copies printed, numbered and signed; subscription price, ten shillings and sixpence. These Registers were printed with the permission of the Rev. Lewis…

Parliamentary and Parochial Electors for Stapleford Tawney, 1914

Sir Drummond Cunliffe Smith Walter Threader Bass Harold Owen Blott Charles Carter Thomas Clayfield Samuel Crabb Amos Dempster Alfred Dennis John Dockerill George Dorrington Harry Freshwater Thomas Godsave Henry Gould Anthony Green George Hartgrove…

Peoples History of Essex (Part II)

Hill-Hall, the seat of Sir William Bowyer Smijth, Bart. – The third parish bearing the name Thoydon, with the distinctive title of Mount, is united with that of Stapleford Tawney; and high in its…

Photographing the High Country

Are you a photographer? Do you have an interest in photographing the buildings of the High Country? Would you like to participate in a small team to carry out such a project during 2001?…

Place Names Quiz

The ‘Essex Review’ in 1936 had an item on ‘Feet of Fines for Essex’ in which the author Rev Llewellyn C Watson Bullock listed unusual spellings of Essex parishes – giving the modern name…

Place Names Quiz (answers)

Here are the answers to our quiz which appeared in the last Journal. Further Comments on the Feet of Fines for Essex by the Rev Llewellyn C Watson Bullock “As regards the old form…

Pole, Rod or Perch?

I wish I’d kept one of my Essex County Council exercise books from the 1950’s. Not for the contents, but for the somewhat esoteric Arithmetical Tables printed on the back cover. Even then, however,…

POST MILLS

The windmill at Aythorpe Roding is a type known as a post mill. The earliest kind was a fixed structure usable only when the wind was blowing in the right direction. Originally it had…

Pre-History and Glacial Erratics

The recently published Journal of the Essex Field Club for the year 2002/2003 contains a paper, written by Gerald Lucy, titled “Essex erratic boulders: a gazetteer”¹. An erratic is a large boulder that did…

Private Victor Albert Burton

Member Doug Burton loaned me some WWI items concerning his great uncle, Victor Albert Burton, who lived with his parents at Foster Street, Harlow. Victor who worked as a gardener joined the 1st Battalion,…

Programme 2010/11

Thursday, 21 October 2010 "Dating old timbers: how to date buildings like Greensted Church" By Dr Martin Bridge The talk will cover the background to how dendrochronology works and illustrate its strengths and weaknesses.…

Programme 2011

Programme 2011 Thursday, 24 February 2011 "Honey bees, skeps, wax and bee boles - a brief foray into the history of bee keeping" By Tricia Moxey Just a single hive of bees appears in…

Programme 2011

Thursday, 24 March 2011 Annual General Meeting and "School Days" Thursday, 21 April 2011 "Brickmaking and Brick Buildings in the High Country" By Anne Padfield How were pre-industrial bricks made? Where were the local…

PROGRAMME 2011/2012

PROGRAMME 2011/2012 2.00pm, Sunday, 18 September 2011 Walk to Navestock Church Meet St Margaret’s Church, Stanford Rivers Led by Patrick Griggs. Meetings Thursday, 27 October, 2011 “A Geological Look at Church Towers in Essex”…

PROGRAMME 2011/2012

PROGRAMME 2011/2012 Thursday, 23 February, 2012 “Stanford Rivers Personalities” Robert Brooks ** Thursday, 22 March, 2012 AGM followed by “The High Country Then and Now” ** Thursday, 26 April, 2012 “How to Speak Essex”…

Programme 2011/2012

PROGRAMME 2011/2012 Thursday, 22 March, 2012 AGM followed by “The High Country Then and Now” A Photographic Journey ** Thursday, 26 April, 2012 “How to Speak Essex” Martin Astell (Essex Record Ofice) Meetings are…

Programme 2012/2013

PROGRAMME 2012/2013 “New Towns in Essex” by Gareth Gunning 8.00pm, Thursday, 25th October Toot Hill Village Hall This talk is a repeat of a talk presented to the Essex Society for Archaeology and History…

Programme 2013/2014

Programme for 2015

Programme for 2017

Programme for 2017

Programme of Events 2014

PROGRAMME for 2014 Thursday 3rd April (Please not the change of date) Annual General Meeting Followed by + Wine and Cheese + Film Show ‘1953’ (members will be charged £2 on this occasion) Thursday…

Project?

Project? In addition, it is hoped that members will participate in a group project. There have been many suggestions from the acting committee; these include capturing a photographic record of the High Country today,…

Projections 65 WWI

This Issue comes at the time of the 100th Anniversary of the outbreak of WWI. It was a very significant event that dramatically changed the way of life in this country. To me, WWI…

Protest Against thr Rural Constabulary 1841

To the Worshipful the Magistracy of the County of Essex in Quarter Sessions Assembled. The humble petition of the inhabitants and rate payers of the united parishes of Stapleford Tawney and Theydon Mount in…

Queen Victorias’s Golden Jubilee 1887

As we prepare to celebrate the Queen’s Golden Jubilee this year, let us look back at the only other Queen’s Golden Jubilee in British history, from the handwritten parish records of Stapleford Tawney [Essex…

QUIZ – 25 Questions to test your knowledge of the High Country

He was commemorated in brass, as an infant in swaddling clothes, in Stanford Rivers in 1492. What was the infant’s name? How did the parish of Stanford Rivers commemorate the Jubilee of Queen Victoria?…

Rainbird?

Does anybody have any information on the Rainbird family who lived in Stanford Rivers in the 19th century? Thomas Rainbird, unmarried and aged 60, of Stanford Rivers is mentioned in the Census of 1851.…

Rainham Hall

Following major conservation work, Rainham Hall re-opened to the public in October 2015. The house was built by John Harle, mariner, in 1729 but has been owned by a succession of people since then…

Rare Garland Discovered in Theydon Mount Church

One now forgotten custom was to carry a garland, in the shape of a crown adorned with flowers and paper trimmings, at the funeral of an unmarried girl and to hang it in the…

RE-OPENING OF GREENSTEAD CHURCH ST EDMUND’S SHRINE

This curious church, which ranks amongst the oldest and most interesting in the kingdom, having been thoroughly reinstated and restored, and the damage repaired which time and decay had made by eating for centuries…

Rector in Court Scene

Revelations of ‘Club Life’ at Stanford Rivers

From the Chelmsford Chronicle 23 January 1891. The monotony of the Petty Session at Ongar was on Saturday relieved by a number of prosecutions under the Licensing Act, affecting the management of the Holly…

Reverend Richard Cobden Earle

Richard Cobden Earle was born in 1867 at Blackheath. Educated at London University he became a priest in 1896. He married Ethel Leader in 1898. He had been Rector of Quendon (Essex) from 1909…

Richard Beadon, Rector of St Margaret’s Stanford Rivers

April 21. At his house in The Circus, Bath, aged 87, the Rt. Rev. Father in God Richard Beadon, D.D. Lord Bishop of Bath Wells. This prelate was a native of Somersetshire, and was…

Richard Mulcaster, Rector of Stanford Rivers 1598

Richard Mulcaster was born in c.1532, the son of William Mulcaster of Carlisle. He was educated at Eton, Cambridge at Christ Church, Oxford, gaining a B.A. in 1555 and an M.A. in 1557. Though…

Richard Thomas Dutton Budworth (Part 1)

Richard Thomas Dutton Budworth was born on the 17th October 1867 at Greensted, Essex. He died on the 7th December 1937 in London. He attended Brecon College and Magdalen, Oxford. His father was Philip…

Richard Thomas Dutton Budworth (Part II)

On September 25th 1935 a letter from Richard Budworth was published in the The Times newspaper. FOOTBALL MEMORIES TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES Sir.- After reading your correspondent's "Football Memories" in your issue…

Rob Brooks

As many of you are aware our Chairman, Rob Brooks suffered a serious heart attack on the 18 January and he remains seriously ill in hospital. Our thoughts and prayers are with Anne, Susannah…

Romans About

Romans in Essex? Colchester comes to mind immediately, but Roman occupation had been widespread. There is evidence that Harlow was a religious and trading centre of local importance before the arrival of the Romans.…

Rookes Evelyn Bell Crompton FRS (31 May 1845 – 15 February 1940)

A British electrical engineer, industrialist and inventor. He was a pioneer of electric lighting and public electricity supply systems. The company he formed, Crompton & Co., was one of the world's first large-scale manufactures…

Royal Visit to Greensted Church

H.R.H. the Princess Royal of Belgium paid a private visit to the ancient and unique church of Greensted, on Wednesday. She was accompanied by Lord Lambourne and ladies, and received by the Rector, the…

Sale Notice –  Greensted

Part of the Greensted Hall Estate Freehold Properties at Greensted, Essex. For Sale by Auction at Winchester House, Old Broad Street, EC on Monday 10th day of May, 1920 at 2.30pm Two Valuable Farms…

Sarah Fuller Flower Adams

Born at Harlow 22 February 1805 - died in London on 14 August, 1848. ‘Nearer, my God, to Thee, Nearer to Thee! E'en though it be a cross That raiseth me; Still all my…

Saving The Century: Victorian Society Exhibition

A touring exhibition of Essex libraries during 2015 celebrated the work of the Victorian Society with an accompanying 48-page pamphlet illustrating buildings lost before the Society’s foundation in 1958, indignity expressed over the demolition…

Sayings – A Square Meal, Show a Leg

'A Square Meal' The saying having a square meal comes from the English Royal Navy during the time of Nelson. In order to stop the plates/ dishes slipping around on the table when the…

Second World War Airfields in Essex

During the mid 1930's, it was realised by the Royal Air Force that it needed to build larger and better equipped airfields if another War with Germany was going to be a possibility. After…

Sequestration of Stanford Rivers from Dr. Meredith.

Next this Houfe took into Confideration the Charge agaift John Merdith, Doctor in Divinity, Parfon of Stanford Rivers, in the County of Essex. And this Day he being by Order of this Hofe to…

Service to be Proud Of

James Woolmore had served as churchwarden at St Margaret’s church, Stanford Rivers for 55 years when this photograph was taken in February 1905. During his long service he served under four Rectors. James died…

SEVERE STORM – ONGAR, 1866

On Saturday last this town and neighbourhood were visited by a terrible thunderstorm or rather a series of storms; the forenoon was intensely hot, and there were evident signs that the air was charged…

Sir Charles CUNLIFFE SMITH

Sir Charles CUNLIFFE SMITH, of Suttons, Romford, died there on Monday, at the age of 78, after a long illness. Although born in London (the only son of the 2nd baronet of the title,…

Sir Hubert Ashton

Sir Thomas Smythe (1513-1577)

Thomas Smythe was born at Saffron Walden, Essex, 23 Dec 1513, the eldest son of John Smith (d. 1547) and Agnes Charnock (b. Lancashire; d. 1547). His father was wealthy: served as sheriff of…

Situation Vacant – Honorary Treasurer

Charming Local History Committee, genuine, desperately seek Lady or Gent, age 16 to 100, High Country based, for companionship at local history activities, to manage finance for small group, no previous experience necessary, GSOH…

Snippets – The Bury & Norwich Post, & Suffolk Herald, April 28, 1868.

The Bishop of Rochester has instituted the Rev. Daniel Race Godfrey, D. D., to the united Rectories of Stapleford Tawney and Mount Theydon, Essex, on the nomination of Sir William Bowyer Smijth.

Snippets – The Morning Post, January 24, 1846

We have to announce the awfully sudden death of Mr W. Gibson, of Greensted Hall. He was in Ongar market on Saturday, to all appearance quite well, and on Sunday night he went to…

Snippets From The Archives

John Hanson Rector of Stapleford Tawney committed adultery with his housekeeper, Anna Lamborne and only had to do penance and pay 10 shillings to the scholars at Oxford. ** William Norrington of Theydon Mount,…

SNIPPETS from the PRESS – AN OLD SAXON CHURCH

To The Editor of The Morning Post Sir, Some of your readers may be aware that there exists within sound of the City an old wooden building, the last of the Saxon Churches, built…

SNIPPETS from the PRESS – GREENSTED

On Sunday, the 8th inst, the usual harvest thanksgiving service was held at Greensted, near Ongar, when the sermons were preached by the Rector (the Rev Philip Ray), and £8.0s.6½ d was collected for…

SNIPPETS from the PRESS – Greensted, Nr Ongar.

Greensted, Nr Ongar. Thanksgiving sermons for the harvest were preached in the Church of the above small village on Sunday Oct.7, by the Rector, the Rev Philip Ray. The collection which amounted to £4.14s.2½d.…

Some 17th Century House Improvements

In 1663, Samuel Hall became Rector of Theydon Mount and moved into the parsonage house (TQ491993) near the mansion of Hill Hall. He left amongst the parish records, a list of the improvements he…

Some C16th Stanford Rivers Wills

RICHARD BALLARDE of Stanford Rivers husbandman, 9 July 1581. To CONYERS the smith a bushel of wheat. To Agnes BRETT my servant my sow hog at Richard FINCHE's with the profit of her. To…

St James Church, Matrden Ash, Ongar

St Margaret’s, Stanford Rivers

I have been able to discover the following names of those who served as Curates at Stanford Rivers. 1551 George Tuke 1571 Richus Wadsworth 1572 Johes Browne 1598 Geoffrey Hosier 1599 Hamo Jansor 1607…

St Mary’s church, Hatfield Broad Oak.

There is something about country-church graveyards that their town and city counterparts lack. Usually tucked away from the community they serve,they offer an atmosphere of calm and tranquillity that can soothe away the stresses…

St Michael the Archangel, Theydon Mount – An appreciation: Historical & Architectural

The endless tides of history have washed the green hill-country of Theydon Mount a thousand years. Nothing more important in the life of the parish than the building of its church has happened there…

Stanford River Vestry

Dating from the 14th century, the vestry was a parish parliament chaired by the parish priest or in his absence the churchwarden or, in the absence of both, an elected member of the meeting.…

STANFORD RIVERS – COTTAGE GARDEN SHOW SOCIETY SEASON 1891

The Show will be held early in September. Due notice of the day will be given Committee Rev. Robert Rolleston Mr Peter Smith, Sen. Mr David Christie Mr Peter Smith, Jun. Mr C. A.…

Stanford Rivers and John Stuart, Viscount Mount Stuart

John Stuart, Viscount Mount Stuart was born on the 25th September 1767 at Grosvenor Square, Mayfair, the son of John Stuart, 1st Marquess of the County of Bute and Hon. Charlotte Jane Windsor. He…

Stanford Rivers Incorporated Workhouse & the New Poor Laws

We have been favoured by Mr Thompson, the able and experienced governor of this asylum, with a statement of expenditure for the past year, for the relief of the aged and indigent poor of…

Stanford Rivers Incorporated Workhouse, & the New Poor Laws.

We have been favoured by Mr. Thompson, the able and experienced governor of this asylum, with a statement of expenditure for the past year, for the relief of the aged and indigent poor of…

Stanford Rivers Vestry Minutes – 2nd October 1817

The parishioners agreed to pay all persons who will destroy the sparrows in this parish in the following manner – for every dozen sparrows four pence. During the two World Wars, the Government were…

Stapleford Tawney Airfield before WWII

I had intended to write about one Essex airfield near to the High Country but was diverted onto another, literally but not physically! Of the two, only one of these is still in operation…

Stappleford Tawney Airfield During World War Two

In the last newsletter we looked at the history of Stapleford Tawney during the years leading up to 1939, when it was a busy commercial airfield. Our story continues with its role during World…

Stondon Massey: High Country Strays in Stondon Massey Parish Register

Stories of Stondon Massey

Revd. Thomas Smith Revd. Thos. Smith of Stondon on one occasion was rolling the gravel in front of his house with his gardener, when suddenly the Church Bells began to ring. “Why!” said the…

Strange But True?

Many, many years ago when I was twenty three I got married to a widow who was pretty as could be. This widow had a grown-up daughter who had hair of red. My father…

Successful Stondon Byrd Festival Gains International Reputation

Early music lovers from far and wide flocked to hear the music of William Byrd at Stondon Massey Church over two weekends in May. William Byrd lived in the village until his death in…

Talk on Humphry Repton

We were joined by members from the Ongar Millenium History Group on the 25th October, for this talk on the landscape gardener, Humphry Repton, given by Anne Padfield. An audience of some 68 people…

That’s My Seat – Anne Archer of Theydon Garnon

‘To remove any from the place where they and their ancestors have time out of mind accustomed to sit will beget more brabbles, suits in law and prohibitions than either you or I would…

The 1831 Census for Stapleford Tawney

The fourth census of Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) was taken on Monday 30th May 1831. The returns gave a population of 16.5 million people, an increase of 1.9 million over 1821. There…

The Archidiaconal Records in 1911

Now preserved in the Essex Record Office for all to see, the Archdeacon of Essex and of Colchester records dating back to the reign of Queen Elizabeth I were stored in a quite different…

The Baker of Great Barfield

The following article was sent in by Patrick Griggs and is taken from the handwritten copy. It seems appropriate to publish this article at this time as it is the 300th anniversary of the…

The Baptism of Monkey Joe (about 1860)

I had heard of him since I began to know myself because he was a step uncle to my father and born about 10 years before him (1860) at the ‘Wheatsheaf” Nine Ashes. I…

The Bell House Estate, Stanford Rivers

The Bell House estate was owned and occupied by a branch of the Petre family for much of the 17th and 18th centuries. An account book in the Essex Record Office reveals a little…

The Bells of St Christopher’s Church, Willingale

The bells of St Christopher’s, Willingale (traditionally Willingale Doe) rang out for the last time on 25 June 2011 ahead of a project to restore the tower and augment the number of bells from…

The Bigamous Baronet – A scandal at Hill Hall

Our local Elizabethan mansion, Hill Hall in Theydon Mount, is currently being redeveloped as luxury apartments, after a splendid exterior refurbishment by English Heritage. It is proving very popular, as over half the apartments…

The Book of Common Prayer

Up and down the country, the Church of England still holds services using the Book of Common Prayer – sometimes referred to as ‘1662 service’. In some quarters its words are regarded as central…

The Budworth Family of Greensted Hall

Captain Philip John Budworth was born on the 27 December 1817. His father was the Revd. Philip Budworth (died 1861), who was rector of High Laver. He had taken over as rector from his…

The Church in Essex

Essex Archaeological and Historical Congress is the umbrella organisation for local history societies in Essex. The High Country History Groups is a member of this organisation, since we believe that the Congress can offer…

The Churches Conservation Trust

The Trust (formerly The Redundant Churches Fund) was set up to care for Church of England churches no longer needed for parish use. All the churches are architecturally or historically important with most Grade…

The Churches of Great Bardfield and Stebbing

Stebbing church 1856 The most outstanding feature of the churches of Great Bardfield and Stebbing is the mediaeval stone rood screens. With the exception of Trondheim cathedral in Norway, they are the only two…

The Congregational Chapel,Stanford Rivers

Built 1820. Destroyed by fire 1927. The Chapel stood on the corner of London Road, Stanford Rivers and Church Road. All that remains today is the boundary wall and a headstone from one of…

The Death of Isaac Taylor

Isaac Taylor (1787-1865) was a member of the celebrated local family known as the Taylors of Ongar. His first name was not unique within the family but the Isaac, the subject of this article,…

The Desecration of Essex

Yet again Essex is threatened. The planned multiplication of transport links with London now challenges any peace remaining in the Essex countryside. Does Essex have to play the host to these insidious threats? Does…

The Diary of Anna Reeve of Stondon Massey, 1888

Introduction This is the story of a Victorian lady and of life around Stondon Massey told through her personal diary of 1888. Anna Reeve (1856 – 1938) was the oldest child of Reverend Edward…

The Dorchester Labourers in Greensted

During the first half of the 19th century, since the ending of the Napoleonic Wars, agriculture had suffered during a period of crisis. Falling wages contributed to hardship for the agricultural labourer. Indeed, wages…

The Draper’s Corner Oak

Draper’s Corner is a small grassy triangle at the junction of Greensted Road and the continuation of Mutton Row, Stanford Rivers; walk out of the old Drill House, turn right and a short walk…

The Epping Highway Trust

The Epping Highway Trust was created by an Act of Parliament in 1768, when it took over responsibility for maintenance of the turnpike roads in this area, from the local and county Justices of…

The Epping Railway Company 1859-1863

The Epping Railways Company is not well known. This is not surprising since it never built a mile of railway. There had been, of course, many railway companies remarkable mainly for their lack of…

The Epping Union Workhousue

Following the High Country History Group’s recent visit to the Records Office at Wharf Road, Chelmsford, I received a list of Essex Records Office events, one of which was an opportunity to view the…

The Essex Coat of Arms

The coat of arms for Essex is a historic one - and stretches back into history. The name Essex means “Land of the East Saxons” and refers to the invasion and settlement in Britain…

The Essex Earthquake of 1884

It happened on April 22nd 1884 at about 9.20 a.m. GMT. It was a fine clear morning with no wind. The epicentre was in the vicinity of Peldon, Abberton and Wivenhoe, but the shock…

The Essex Floods

At our June meeting Anne Brooks gave a geographer’s perspective of the Essex Floods which happened on the night of 31 January 1953. Many lost their lives when wind and tide combined. The event…

The Essex Great War Archive Project

This new project, in association with the Essex Record Office, marks the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the Great War, and will run for the four years 2014 to 2018. During this period…

The Essex History Group Programme

The Essex Place Name Project

The Project has the aim to record names of roads, streets, fields, farms, houses, woods, inns, rivers, streams, mills, owners and tenants from old documents and maps, dating from current Ordnance Surveys, through 19th…

The Essex Police Museum

The Essex Police Museum was established in 1991 with the aims ‘to advance the education of the public in the history of Essex in general and in the Essex Police Service in particular by…

The Essex Record Office

Collects and preserves the county’s written heritage. The archives of countless local organisations, families and individuals are stored there, ensuring that they can be studied by present and future generations of researchers. The archives…

The Great Fire, Stanford Hall, 22 September 1907

I recently saw advertised for sale a postcard entitled, The Great Fire, Stanford Hall, 22/9/07. The printer of the postcard was F.J. Mott of Ongar. My curiosity roused I purchased the postcard and discovered…

The Green Man Public House, Toot Hill

The earliest reference to the Green Man appears in a book written in 1818, which describes the Green Man as ‘a comfortable little inn in the midst of picturesque scenery: it is very convenient…

The Greensted Road

History repeats! Now look at some of our local roads. They are under unprecedented stress; traffic is increasing; established pot-holes have been deepened by last winter’s weather; water covers roads where ditches have filled;…

The Greensted Tithe Dispute

Tithe was a tax fraught with difficulties both in fair administration and efficient collection. Its origins date back to the earliest days of the church, when the parish priest - in exchange for looking…

The Harlow Museum

Harlow has a new Museum. Opened in March 2002, the Museum has taken over the leafy site of the 19th Century Stable Block of Mark Hall Manor at 5, Muskham Road, Harlow. The site…

The Historical Register for 1738

November. A dispensation passed to enable the Revd. John Harris, M.A., to hold the Vicarage of Tillebury (Tilbury?) in the County of Essex, and the Diocese of London, together with the Rectory of Greensted…

The Home Guard Pocket Book 1942

Cyclist Trap The best way for a cyclist is a wire stretched across a road about four feet up. If you know enemy cyclists are expected this is what you should do: Select a…

The Honeypot Killers

The Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales

A substantial topographical dictionary first published between 1870 and 1872, edited by the Reverend John Marius Wilson. It contains a detailed description of England and Wales. Its six volumes have a brief article on…

The Jubilee at Stanford Rivers

On the 1st January 1900, the celebration of the new century in London was muted. The Boer War was not going well. Ladysmith was under siege. British Army equipment was being out performed by…

The Jubilee at Stanford Rivers

On 1st January 1900, celebration of the new century in London was muted due to the Boer War. British forces were under pressure and resources were stretched. In Stanford Rivers, however, planning for the…

The Living Landscape; Animals in Parks and Gardens of Essex,

The Living Landscape has been written by members of the Essex Gardens Trust Research Group. It represents a notable achievement. The volume contains ten research papers. The subject of each paper has been carefully…

The Mole Trap Public House, Stapleford Tawney

The Ongar Hundred

The Ongar Hundred Workhouse

[Report from the Poor Law Commission in 1838] “The Governor is a retired supervisor of excise; his former occupation has accustomed him to accuracy in accounts, and his services on the Kent and Sussex…

The Ongar Union Workhouse

Established in 1834 as a result of the Poor Law Amendment Act of that year, the Ongar Union comprised some 26 parishes under the control of a Board of Guardians. The workhouse was established…

The Overseers’ Book of Stapleford Tawney

A paper book bound in vellum, 16 inches by 6, and 2 inches thick, written on the first page:- ‘This book was bought by John Harris, in the year 1746, for the use of…

The Parish School

In an occasional series we will look at the 4 village schools which served the High Country area, none of which unfortunately survive as schools today. Stanford Rivers school was opened in 1850. By…

The Past

One aim of the High Country Community Magazine now sadly defunct) was to record our past, and our present for the informing of the future. Set against geological time the whole of Human history…

The Petre’s of Stanford Rivers

In 1623 William, 2nd Baron Petre purchased the estate from Sir Thomas Elliott. William was married to Catherine, second daughter of Edward Somerset, fourth earl of Worcester. Lord Petre settled the estate in 1628…

The Picture of St Edmund at Greensted Church

In the Essex Review of 1913 there appeared an article on Greensted Church, by Aug. V. Phillips. Many other notices of the church have appeared in our past volumes from time to time. But…

The Pilgrims Way: a reference to St Edmund

The old Pilgrim way to Bury St Edmunds used for fully five hundred years by pilgrims to the shrine of the Martyr- Knight – Beodericsworth of old - the Bury St Edmunds of our…

The Political Conversion of John Maryon

John Maryon was born in Highwood, Essex, in 1897. His father farmed Snails Farm, Billericay, during the First World War at the time when an enemy Zeppelin was fired and fell to the ground…

The Post Office Rifles at Ongar

The Queen’s Jubilee and the Woes of Stanford Rivers

The Chelmsford Chronicle 14th May 1897 STANFORD RIVERS A PUBLIC MEETING was held in the National Schoolroom, on Tuesday evening, to consider how to commemorate the Jubilee. Mr Christy presided. There was a lively…

The Rabbit in the Medieval Economy

The Rat and Sparrow Club

The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) has reported a steep decline in sparrow populations within the UK over the last thirty-five years. Other wildlife and environmental groups and organisations agree the current status of…

The Revd. Sir John Ayloffe Bt., Rector of Standford Rivers (Baronetcy created 1612 – extinct 1781)

John was the son of Henry Ayloffe (captain of a Troop of Horse), and Dorothy, daughter and heir of Richard Bulkeley, of Cheadle, in Cheshire. Henry was the third son of Sir Benjamin Ayloffe,…

The Reverend Capel Cure

The Royal Forest of Essex

In 2005 Rob Brooks led a ten week course for the Ongar branch of the WEA entitled ‘The Royal Forest of Essex’. These notes were written by him, and are reproduced in his memory.…

The Royal Forest of Essex (Part 2 of 2)

The Forest of Writtle The remaining woodland of the Forest associated with Writtle lies 5 miles South West of the village green. The woodland lies between lngatestone, and Fryerning and Highwood, and is north…

The Rules of Navigation

Two manuscript volumes produced by different students cast light into the world of navigation. Both are in the archives of the Essex Society for Archaeology and History. The student’s names are unknown, it is…

The sad story of Mr Mikkish

On 30 March 1890 Rudolph Mikkisch, who was living off Tottenham Court Road, told his wife that he was going out for a short walk. He did not return and four days later, on…

The Shipwreck of Greensted’s Stained Glass

This is a curious and unverifiable story. In about 1870, Jonathan Lewis of Water End Farm, Bobbingworth emigrated to Nelson in New Zealand, taking with him two small stained glass panels. According to their…

The Smith Family of Suttons Manor, Stapleford Tawney 

The Smith, later Hamilton-Spencer-Smith, later Spencer-Smith Baronetcy, of Tring Park, in Hertfordshire. The baronetcy was created on 11 June 1804 for Drummond Smith, with remainder to the male heirs of his niece Augusta (daughter…

The Story of Welford & Sons, Ltd.

Text from United Dairies “Our Notebook January 1926”. The growth and development of Welford and Sons Limited. during the past 80 years affords an instructive illustration of the process of evolution in the dairy…

The Tithe Commutation Awards – Part 1

That Burdensome Tithe By the early nineteenth century, the payment of the tithe had become inconsistent, burdensome and outdated¹. In England and Wales, the tithe represented the payment of one tenth of farm production…

The Token Coinage of Essex in the Seventeenth Century

A brief review of the conditions which rendered necessary the issuing of the tradesmen’s tokens described in the following pages is, I think, desirable, in order that their great numbers, and wide and general…

The Tolpuddle Martyrs and Greensted

In August 1838, upon their return from Australia, George Loveless his wife and four children and James Loveless, his wife and one child, together with James Brine who was single, were installed in New…

The Woodman Public House

In the second of our series looking at the public houses of the area we arrive at the Woodman Public House, which is situated on the busy A113. The building dates from 1674, although…

The Workhouse

In May 1836 the Guardians decided to maintain three workhouses in the Union, namely Stanford Rivers which was for the able bodied male and female; High Ongar for the aged and infirm and Chipping…

Theydon Mount Constable

A petition from Theydon Mount in 1612 shows that even in rural areas they could, if sufficiently united appeal successfully against the will of the lord of the manor. In this case Sir William…

Theydon Mount School

Theydon Mount School

Log Books from 1894 to 1932 for the former school have survived and are now found in the Essex Record Office at Chelmsford and they provide a social picture for the time. Below I…

Theydon Mount Wills during the reign of King James I (1603 – 1625)

The study of Wills allows local historians and genealogists to trace ancestry particularly in instances where Parish Registers do not exist. Ten Theydon Mount wills are preserved in the Essex Record Office during the…

Theydon Mount Wills: Family Connections using Wills preserved during the reign of James I (1603-1625)

Last time we saw that Wills of testators in Theydon Mount cast light on the rebuilding of St Michael’s Church between 1611 and 1614. Of those preserved at the Essex Record Office, four of…

Theydon Mount: Quatercentenary

1. Wills written during the reign of King James I (1603-25) St Michael’s Church, Theydon Mount commemorated the 400th anniversary of its rebuilding in 2014. A search through old documents held at the Essex…

This Might Be Useful

Thomas Luther and Stapleford Tany School

Know all men by these present that whereas Thomas Luther, late of Suttons in the Parish of Stapleford Tany in the County of Essex; Deceased did and by his last will and testament in…

Threatened Closures of Stapleford Tawney and Theydon Mount Schools in 1911

To The Freeholders of the County of Essex

Gentlemen Having seen in the Chelmsford Chronicle of the 9th instant, Sir William Smyth’s resignation of the Verderership of the Forest of Waltham, I have been encouraged by several of my friends to offer…

Toot Hill Windmill

Toot Hill Windmill – a disaster revisited

This post mill was built in about 1815 and is best known for a dramatic incident on 18 June 1829 when it was severely damaged after being struck by lightning. The miller, Joseph Knight,…

Tragedy at Theydon Bois 1940

Transactions of the Essex Archaeological Society

Transportation reprived (of Samuel James of Theydon Garnon, 1797)

Samuel James, who was born in 1784 at Theydon Garnon, was on the 26 November 1797 accused of stealing 6d in money and a banknote, value £10, the property of Samuel Miller, of Theydon…

Tribute to Rob Brooks (1945-2013)

Rob was born in 1945 in Hampshire where he had a happy childhood in Hamble enjoying the freedom along Southampton Water and Netley that one could have in the 1950s. He attended the local…

Unhealthy Occupation

They write from Ongar in Essex, that on the 14th instant died there, the Revd. Dr. Jones, Rector of that place: Tis remarkable that within about 12 months past 10 clergy of the neighbouring…

Unlocking Essex’s Past

This is the name of a new website which will allow you to explore over 33,000 historic sites in Essex, digitally, dating from the Stone Age through to the Cold War. This site is…

Verdun Oaks

Vestry Order Book for Stapleford Tawney (commenced 1824)

1824: Oct 2 Maria Bray went to Mr Witham at 1s. per week. Oct 12 Harriott Westmoreland went to Wm. Laundy at 1s per week. Nov 9 Harriott Westmoreland a pair of high shoes…

VICTORIAN MURDERS 

PARISH of STAPLEFORD TAWNEY with THEYDON MOUNT Friday 12 October 2012 7.00 for 7.30pm ST MARY’S CHURCH, STAPLEFORD TAWNEY VICTORIAN MURDERS IN ESSEX An illustrated talk by Martyn Lockwood “The records of the Spring…

Village Building in the High Country

Anne Padfield delivered the first talk to the High Country History Group. The talk was held in the Parish Room, St Mary’s Church, Stapleford Tawney, on Thursday 24th February. The talk presented an illustrated…

Visit of Queen Mary

On June 29, 1926, the Queen honoured Sir Robert and Lady Hudson by driving from Buckingham Palace to Hill Hall. Her Majesty arrived in time for luncheon and stayed until after tea. The Queen…

Visit to Aythorpe Roding Windmill

Some 24 members visited the windmill on Sunday 16 September and spent two hours being shown round the mill. Built in approximately 1760, it is a large post mill on 4 floors, now restored…

Visit to Ingatestone Hall

Some 26 members visited Ingatestone Hall, the home of Lord Petre, Lord Lieutenant of Essex, on the 8 July. The Petre family have lived at the hall since 1540. The hall is mentioned in…

Visit to The Royal Gunpowder Mills, Waltham Abbey

Saturday, 16th August, 2003 Twenty-eight members of the High Country History Group and friends visited the Royal Gunpowder Mills. This was the first visit to the site for most of the party. At noon,…

War Memorials

War memorials are a familiar site in the landscape of the United Kingdom. They provide insight into not only the changing face of commemoration but also military history, social history and art history. There…

Welcome Home

A tea and Welcome Home was given to the returned soldiers in the Schoolroom. Twenty-two ex-Service men were present. Sir Drummond C. Smith, Bart., occupied the chair, and the following committee helped with the…

WEST ESSEX ASSOCIATION – For the Preservation of Game

Whereas divers unqualified persons have made a practice of coming upon the under-named Manors and Estates, viz., Nave stock Copped Hall Champions Theydon Mount Ongar Park Hall Loughton Lambourne Theydon Garnon Kelvedon Gains Park…

West Window, St Michael’s Church, Theydon Mount

Stained glass windows that stayed intact through plague and a bomb blast have been painstakingly restored with funds raised by a church congregation. The windows in St Michael's Church in were made for Hill…

What The Papers Said!

I have been able to glean the following articles that appeared in the Essex Newsman newspaper. The Essex Newsman was a weekly newspaper, published on Saturdays by Meggy and Thompson in Chelmsford. Its first…

What The Papers Say

Chelmsford Chronicle, 23 January 1846 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that an aged BLACK HORSE, which came astray in the manor of Theydon Mount, in the County of Essex, on the 3rd day of November…

What the Papers Say (1945 – 1955)

Rectory To Big The Rev. E. B. Rees, M.C., rector of Stapleford Tawney and Theydon Mount, has moved from his 28-roomed rectory to a former gardener’s cottage, because of heavy expense. Essex Newsman 3…

White Bear Public House, Stanford Rivers

The White Bear is a grade II listed building. In 1848 the Post Office was located at the pub. Advertisements: Chelmsford Chronicle 2nd December, 1859 TO BE DISPOSED OF, an old-established road-side Inn, known…

White’s Directory of Essex 1848

Our journey takes us to Lambourne. LAMBOURNE parish comprises several scattered houses near the church, but the chief part of its population is a mile to the west, in the improving village of ABRIDGE,…

White’s Directory of Essex 1848

Our journey around the High Country takes us to Bobbingworth. A pleasant retired village, surrounding a green, 5 miles North East by East of Epping, and 2 miles North by West of Chipping Ongar,…

White’s History, Gazetteer & Directory of Essex ~ 1848

GREENSTED is a small scattered village and parish, about one mile W. of Chipping Ongar, from which it is commonly called Greensted near Ongar, to distinguish it from Greensted near Colchester. It has only…

William Byrd Festival – St Peter & St Paul Church, Stondon Massey 7 -15 May 2011

Members of the congregation at St Peter & St Paul Church in Stondon Massey are looking forward to a ‘William Byrd Festival’. A series of events will be held over two weekends in May…

William Byrd, and the Authorised Version of the Bible

When Kerry McCarthy gave a lecture recently to guests at Sidney Sussex College in Cambridge she said that William Byrd (c1540 - 1623) set none of his music to the text of the King…

William Byrd’s Library

William Byrd, the Elizabethan composer, lived at Stondon Massey for the last thirty years of his life, dying in 1623. He was a Catholic but avoided the severest penalties because of his association with…

William Frith Horner

On a recent visit to Fyfield Church, near Ongar, I noticed a brass memorial plate in the Chancel, which read: IN MEMORY OF FLIGHT CMDR WILLIAM FRITH HORNER (LIEUT RN) DSC, RN Beloved only…

William King M.M.

Born in Stanford Rivers in about 1887, the son of Abram & Matilda King, of Clatterford End, Toot Hill. In the 1911 Census he is shown as a Cowman at Burrows Farm, and resided…

William Nayler

The entry in the burial register at Stanford Rivers read: “William NAYLER, aged 25 of Ilford, buried on the 20 August 1816 by the Rev DOWDSWELL, the Rector.” Nothing unusual in this, but at…

William Pittam

The funeral of Mr William Pittam, who for 44 years carried on the business of grocer and draper, and was also for that time post master of Passingford Bridge, took place at Stapleford Tawney.…

William Sworder of Stapleford Tawney

William Sworder of Stapleford Tawney Hall was not a young man when I first made his acquaintance, but he was what he always continued to be while he could throw his leg across a…

Willingale Walk

Some 12 members, led by Patrick Griggs, walked from Fyfield to Willingale, where we provided with tea and chocolate cake by the volunteers who care for St Andrew’s and All Saints church, which is…

Willow Cottage, Curtis Mill Green

If you turn off the Passingford Bridge roundabout down a dead-end road, you pass first through an avenue of stately trees, then by an octagonal lodge marking the former entrance to Albyns, a grand…

Wills to 1720 Online at Essex Ancestors

The Essex Record Office has announced a major update of Wills digitised and available online through Essex Ancestors, its subscription site. A further 22,500 wills have just been added to the 20,000 previously available…

Witchcraft in Stanford Rivers

1586 Essex Lent Sessions and General Gaol Delivery holden at Chelmsford 3rd March 28 Eliz. Anne Joyce, wife of John Joyce of Stanforde Ryvers, labourer, 0n 20 Apl.,27 Eliz., at Stanforde Ryvers bewitched to…

World War II Airfields in Essex

Martyn's article in Journal 59 (March 2016) reminded me of the conversations that I had many years ago with local residents who still remembered the construction of Chipping Ongar airfield at Willingale in the…

World War II: If the Invader Comes

Member Martin Cearns found the following poster in the effects of his late father. It was issued during 1940 and gave advice to residents as to the action they should take if this country…

World War One Films: David Welford, our treasurer and film addict, reviews the history of films factual and otherwise relating to the Great War.

You Might Find These Useful

Family History Books Collection: https://familysearch.org/#form=books On this LDS Church web pages are 40,000 plus digitised books useful to family historians including histories of families. “How to” books on genealogy, parish register transcriptions, periodicals and…

Zeppelins Commemoration, September 2016: Memorial unveiled at Billericay, and Zepfest at Little Wigborough

Zeppelins Over Essex 31 March 1916

Blackmore residents had a very close shave a hundred years ago when the German Zeppelin L14 dropped bombs in the parish. The stained glass in what is now the kitchen of St Laurence Church…

Zeppelins Over Essex: an Introduction

To be able to mark the centenary to the day when bombs were dropped over Blackmore by Zeppelin L14 was both a privilege as well as a coincidence. The timing of Easter meant that…