Repentance – Again

The previous edition of the newsletter of the High Country History Group, Number 25, contained interesting thoughts from Andrew Smith on the local use of the word repentance. He referred to the word Repentance appearing in field-names, a cottage name and a post-box. The naming of the old Drill House pub opposite the cottage was also questioned.

Repentance Cottage is in Greensted but the boundary of the property forms part of the parish boundary with Stanford Rivers. Field-names of these two parishes, listed in the tithe awards of c.1840, indicate just two fields named Repentance, one in Greensted and one in Stanford Rivers, the fields being either side of the old pub. Although Repentance Farm is named in the award for Greensted neither field was part of the farm at that time. The Reverend Philip Budworth and Jane Velley then owned the farm, and James Millar was the occupier¹. It seems unlikely that the 4 on the post box referred to the number of Repentance fields.

Farm buildings, later associated with Repentance Farm, appear on the map published by Chapman and Andre in 1777, but the buildings are not named. It was an isolated farm and the locality is unlikely to be referred to as a hamlet. The use of the name suggests that the farm might have been used as some form of reform school, miscreants being sent from London to work off their repentance through local farm work.

Before the closure of the Drill House in 1999, the sign of the public house depicted a seed drill. An alternative interpretation suggested that the word drill might have referred to the exercise of those miscreants living in Repentance Cottage before they reported for work. We have often guardedly promoted this alternative interpretation!

Some exploration in the Essex Record Office has not bom any more information. Further research into the archives is still required and Andrew Smith's note might be the prompt. Note that nowadays there is just one wrongdoer still working in the farm!