High Country History Group

I would like to add a little piece of my knowledge about Stanford Rivers, as I recall. My father Alexander Cameron (my name is Peter - one of his four sons) was stationed there in the 1920' I can recall Pc Gutteridge on many occasions visiting us in the bungalow prior to his murder in 1927 by Brown and Kennedy.

I was baptised in the church with my brother in 1926. I can remember the village shop and post office opposite a row of cottages. Also I can recall the night that the chapel was burned down - we had been to a meeting just before it started.

In 1940-1941 I was in a Searchlight regiment on a site behind the church. We used to do a "lot of business" with the farmer. Onc of our other occupations on our off duty moments was a trip to the White Bear or Woodman pubs.

We were part of the air defence of North Weald aerodrome. There were many air raids and several near misses which landed very close to us.

I made many friends and I wonder if any of them remember me. I would like to hear from them if they do.

Peter Cameron

In 1914 the Diocese of Chelmsford was formed with almost all parishes in Essex transferring from the see of St Albans. Six years later. following the First World War, the first Bishop of Chelmsford. Rt. Rev. J F Watts-Ditch, sent a questionnaire for completion by all incumbents. In total, 49 questions were asked. The document may be found in the Essex Record Office.

Sidney M Stanley, Incumbent of Stapleford Tawney with Theydon Mount, in the Rural Deanery of Chigwell responded as follows.

1. What are the occupation of the people?
Entirely agricultural

What is the average attendance (exclusive of school children) at Moming Prayer and at Evening Prayer on Sunday?
70

6. What was the number of Communicants in cach of the last two years?

What proportion of Communicants are male?
Twenty.

20 What hymn book is used?
Ancient & Modern

21 When you are called upon to marry any couple, are you careful to enquire whether either has been divorced and whose partner is still living?
No.

29. Is there a Sunday School in your parish?
Yes.

30. Please give your opinion briefly as to the condition of your parish with regard to

44. State what you believe to be the causes of such evil as exists and what efforts - preventative and remedial, you are making to combat them.

Indifference among the men is the chief difficulty. They have been away at the war most of the time I have been here. I am getting to know them better, & winning their confidence by mixing with them, & seeing their leisure hours are well filled. We have started a Village Brass Band, a football & Cricket Club. When we get a meeting place, such as a Hut, I shall make more progress in spiritual matters than I am now.

45. To what extent, whether favourably or unfavourably, has the war affected the spiritual life of your parish?
I can detect very little difference owing to the War.

46. How has the war influenced

48. Are there any special difficulties or hindrances in your work?

The parish is very scattered - many live a long way from the church - the roads are bad, & it is difficult to get people together. Many of the men have necessary work to do on Sundays eg. Cowmen & horsemen.

[Signed] Sidney M Stanley
Date: March 30 1920

Finally at North Weald, with regard to Sunday observance in the parish the incumbent notes, "Excursionists to Epping Forest create a difficulty & nuisance", whilst on housing. "RDC are planning to build 20 houses which are much needed. Existing properties are poor".

Ann Padfield passed on to me a letter she had received from the North Weald Airfield Museum, who had in turn received it from a Jurgen Ide, from Germany. The original letter was written to Philip and Lindsay Mugleston who live at Hammonds Farm, Stapleford Tawney.

I reproduce the letter below:

Maybe it is a little strange for you to read this letter, but the name "Mugleston" is in my mind since my childhood and that is the reason to drop you these lines. My father was born in 1896 and became a soldier in WWI. In 1917 he became POW and was sent to England. where he belonged to the parents camp Pattishall Towcester, but he was billeted in a substation camp in or near Epping.

Since my childhood, I was born in 1933, he talked a lot about Epping and he often talked about a farmer, where he had to work, with the Name "Mugleston". In 2003 we went to Epping but nobody could tell us anything about the POW camp or about a farm with the name "Mugleston".

This year we started our research again and with the help of the internet, with the help of a friend and mostly with the help of Mr. Aitkin from the Airfield Museum in Epping Forest we finally were able to find your address.

I write this letter to thank you very much after so many years for the good care that your grandfather paid to my father. My father talked always in the best way about Mr Muglestone and he spent him highest appreciation. It was not really a good time, but with the help of your relative he had some good memories and he learnt a lot in those years. Later on, when he had inherited our farm, we also had had 2 Russian POW's to help us. He always said: "I was treated well in England so we will also treat them well". So we worked together with them and we ate with them at the same table. And when in 1944 a Lancaster Bomber was shot down near our village and six aircraftsmen were killed by the crash, he. -as the mayor of our village took care for a Christian funeral, as good as it was possible in those days. After the war, when we were occupied by British troops, he had good advantage by his knowledge of the language and good contact to the British officers.

All these memories are a part of the history of my family and my son is also interested in these old stories. There is one question left: where was the exact place of the camp. From my father I know that he sometimes worked on Hammonds Farm, sometimes in Epping. And because they had to walk, the camp must have been in the middle of these two places. So we suppose, that this WWI POW camp must have been in Hill Hall, at the same place, where during WW2 "Hill Hall Camp" existed as POW camp. My father also talked about a park, that they has to pass and that makes Hill Hall most probable.

May be you have heard about this camp or elder people in your region know something about the time in WW1, please let it me know.

Maybe, we will come to Epping again next year, and if it is pleased for you, we will knock at your door and say hello.

Jurgen Ide.

If anyone can throw any light on where the Prisoner of War camp was, please get in touch. [editor]

The following extracts have been taken from the Minute Book.

26 September 1903:
An apology demanded from the Schoolmaster for the reflection entered by him in the Log Book under June 8h relative to the visit of the Ladies Committee. Failing this requested to resign.

Also resolved that as Mrs Newmarch has failed to apologise as requested by the Managers for her discourteous reception of the Ladies Committee on the occasion of their first visit to the school she also asked to resign.

7 November:
No apology forthcoming so both the Master and Mistress, Mr and Mrs Newmarch be dismissed.

30 November:
Miss Ella Dixon of Terling. appointed Assistant Teacher, salary £55 per year

18 January 1904:
Letter of dismissal to Mr Newmarch - 3 months notice.

16 February:
If they wish to dismiss Mrs Newmarch they should make formal application to the County Committee.

27 February:
Mrs Newmarch to be dismissed. Letter by registered post to Mrs Newmarch. She asks for extension of time. Decision deferred.

21 March:
Letter of dismissal to stand.

26 March:
Mr and Mrs Potts accept the vacant positions.

4 April
Potts withdraw.

12 April:
Noted that the advertisements for vacancies - replies were few in number, indifferent in quality.
Decided to postpone the question of permanent Master/Mistress and advertise for temporary

28 April:
Mr Newmarch refuses to give up possession as all claims by him for payment of Government Grant not settled.
Notice given to Mr Newmarch to hand over the keys on April 30 at 9.30am. As many of managers as possible to be present.

Mr J. C. Whitebrook and his sister-in-law Mrs Whitebrook appointed temporary. Salaries £3.7.6d per week together.

28 May:
Proposed that Mr Whitebrook be offered the post permanently.

9 June:
Position to Mr Whitebrook opposed by Govemor, Mr Waltham, who wants post advertised for married couple.

Chair gives casting vote in favour of original proposal. Agreed to advertise for male teacher as there were a considerable excess of boys over girls at the school.

21 July:
Unsigned typewritten letter purporting to come from head complaining of the conduct of one of the Managers. As unsigned decision deferred. To ask head if he had written it.

4 October:
Advert for Headteacher and wife, commencing salary, headteacher £120 to £145; wife £50 to £60. 'Small family preferred'. Also a female assistant teacher.

10 October:
Mr Whitebrook to be informed that the County Education Committee will not sanction his appointment as Headteacher. Mr Whitebrook to be given 3 months notice to leave.

Salary of female assistant teacher - E50 to £60.
Agreed to engage Miss May Fletcher, from Blackmore, as a pupil teacher, salary £15.12s Od per year on 6/- per week, rising to £18.4.0d.

27 October:
Miss Fletcher declines to accept the post.

29 October:
Mr and Mrs Howgate interviewed. Managers impressed but Mr and Mrs Howgate expressed a desire for larger accommodation in the dwelling house, otherwise they might not fell disposed to accept.

3 November:
Agreed to appoint Mr G.A. and Mrs Emily Howgate of Loughborough school, Moreton in the Marsh. Decided to build an additional bedroom to the dwelling house. Rent to remain the same €15

10 October:
Miss Alice Stockwell offered the post of female assistant. She is to have charge of the Infants Department. Salary £55 per annum.

3 October 1905:
Miss Stockwell resigns - her salary has been reduced through superannuation payments. She is a certificated (3' class) teacher.

10 October:
Miss Stockwell withdraws resignation. Her salary has been increased. Noted she has over 50 children on her books in the Infants department.

Blackmore, a village four miles east of Chipping Ongar, is not mentioned in the Domesday Book. It grew due to the founding of an Augustinian Priory in 1160 by the Samford family who later married into the powerful Essex family, the de Veres (Earls of Oxford). The Priory Church of St Laurence, is inextricably linked with the history of the village, with the Nave being that of the former Priory and its ceiling (dated 1381 to 1397) bearing 16 shields among whom are the 81h, 9th and 10h Earls of Oxford, Richard II, Thomas of Woodstock (the King's uncle who was murdered at Calais in 1397), John of Gaunt (who became Henry IV in 1399) and Thomas Braybrooke (Bishop of London).

The oldest graves in the churchyard date from the last year of the seventeenth century and early eighteenth century. Writing in 1940, Arthur Mee records that the churchyard contains "two Twogoods from Queen Anne's time, each with a skull and crossbones on his grave"³. This motif was common as symbols of death and not, as once supposed, signs of plague victims. Nearer the lychgate (built 1914) are slabs to the memory of the Baker and Petchey families. William Holman (1719) transcribed the inscriptions from these graves which today are now almost illegible. Like the Twogoods, these are graves of rich families. For example, the Will of William Baker (1704) *:

Skull and Crossbones Grave, John Twogood

In the Name of God. Amen. William Baker of Fingrith Hall in the parish of Blackmore in the County of Essex Gentleman being sick in Body but Sound and perfect in mind and memory (thanks be to God therefore) ... doo give and devise unto my Sonn William Baker [all] ... Margaret my deare and loving Wife ... the summe of Twenty pounds of lawfull money of England by quarterly payments ... unto my Daughter Anna Wearia Baker the sum of two hundred pounds ... at her Age of One and twenty years and in the meanetime ... unto my said Wife (who I thereby appoint her Guardian) ... the yearly sum of Six pounds .. unto my son Robert Baker ... messuage ... in High Ongar ... called Humphreys ... 3" sonne Alexander ... One Hundred Pounds of lawfull money .... my sister Cornish and her two daughters tenn shillings a piece to buy them Rings ... my Sonn John Baker my Silver Saltsellers and my silver Beaker ... Mary Godbold the widdow of John Goldbold ... twenty shillings a year for five yeares ... And to the poore of the parish of Blackmore I give twenty shillings to be distributed ...

Many visitors to the church are intrigued by the house behind the wall known as Jericho Priory. Whilst some know that this was the birthplace of Henry Fitzroy (1519 - 1536). King Henry VIII's bastard son, others are then disappointed to learn that the building was subsequently reconstructed. The house occupies the site of the demolished proportion of the former Priory. Today the south and east side of the church are only accessible by the church members for special purposes (e.g. quinquennial inspections, repairs).

Revd. Philip Morant (1768) suggested that, "This is reported to have been one of K. Henry the Eighths Houses of Pleasure ... Here was born his natural son, by Elizabeth Tailbois, daughter of Sir John Blount".

It is highly unlikely that Henry Fitzroy was conceived in Blackmore. as some locals would like to claim. What is more probable was that Elizabeth Blount, later married to Gilbert Tailbois, was sent for a period of confinement to Blackmore Priory when clearly seen in Court she was with child. Blackmore Priory in 1518 was a small. quiet, Augustinian Priory which nine years later was suppressed by Wolsey having only four Canons in residence. Had Henry Fitzroy not died at the age of 17 the course of English history could well have changed.

During the Second World War, as one of our senior members recalled, the house was used for military purposes. The aftemoon brought back fond memories of the village where she lived in 1943 and was a driver.

Church Street has a number of old buildings, all well described in the new Buildings of England volume on Essex. Little Jericho House: "with projecting two storey porch, possibly built as a vicarage c1600"⁶. Hareton House, a late C18 brick house, purchased to be used as a Vicarage, and extended to three bedrooms in 1891. The new Vicarage (1957) was built in the former large garden after Hareton House was sold. Opposite is Longbeam Cottage, "the earliest house in the street, dating from the early C14 but with the front wall rebuilt e1600. Five bays with continuous jetty and exposed timbers of the upper storey".

We had the owners of Little Jordan with us on our walk. They added to Bettley's description that it "has a sashed front to Church Street but original early C17 windows on the return front in Bull Alley" by saying that there is a blocked up window and that property might have once been a fishmonger's but this fact had not been proved.

The Bull Public House at the top of the street is described as "Originally two houses of the C15 and early C16, with much exposed timber framing". The pub website gives a date of 1385, one which would fit romantically with the notion that pilgrims would come to the village to the Priory and require board and lodgings.

A Baptism Register entry records:

1607
Marie Lanes - du of -----? & Maria. Born at Wm. Cooke's of ye Bull.
17 May.

Mr Stock (aged 85 in 1932), in an interview for the Essex Chronicle, recalled 14 pubs.

Walking on along The Green, "The pond, a well known beauty spot, was originally constructed as a watering-hole for cattle going to market and horses travelling between London and East Anglia".

The Barge and pond
(taken from an engraving by Ernest Moul, 1905)

Taking what we might regard as oral history. the Essex Chronicle article reported that one in four residents in Blackmore drew the Old Age Pension. The healthiness of the village was suggested to be the Blackmore water "which came off iron".

"I spoke to Mrs Elizabeth Bugler, who is 92, and still conducts a small business at 'The Old Barge' down by the river.

"'I've nothing to grumble at', she said except that I think they mighi put a little more on the old age pension.

"She has never been to London. 'No use for the place' she said 'too much trumpery there'. The old lady has a great suspicion of paper money. 'I like silver' she explained 'that's real money"*".

Laurences (photographed in 1974)

A large house on the north side of The Green, Laurences, "a residence with 4 bedrooms, outbuildings, gardens and orchard and about 1 acre of meadow land" ** , had once been called Poplars. It had been owned by the Caton family and recently I have been in correspondence with once of his descendents. Her Gt.Grandfather William Oliver Caton lived at Diggens Farm, Willingale. He died there in 1901 but also mentions this property.

We then paused opposite the War Memorial. It contains the names of the fallen on the front face and on the other faces the names of the men from the village who served are inscribed. "One in every five had paid the supreme sacrifice"¹⁰.

Horsefaryre Green

Horsefayre Green and the Leather Bottle remind us of a local leather trade and horses. Today there are three pubs in close proximity: The Bull, The Prince Albert and The Leather Bottle. "The Bottle", rebuilt following a fire in 1954, was, since 1769, a public house. A local remembers being there on reopening night in 1956.

Those who attended Debden's Royal Mail Store on 3 September spotted the K6 telephone kiosk by the Post Office. This is a listed building: originally designed in 1935.

The Post Office has a plaque "JHA 1888" referring to John Henry Arthy who was postmaster.

Opposite is The Prince Albert where we recalled a story from the Essex County Chronicle, 10 April 1908. "Essex farmers in the Blackmore district did not appear to be suffering from an epidemic of stack fires" but there had been a fire at High Elms Farm, the property for Messrs W & G Osborne. Leaving the Prince Albert a little worse for wear, William Bentley boasted "They think it's me". He was subsequently arrested.

In Court William Osborne deposed that "I saw some footprints came up to the stack and back again in the direction of Fingrith Hall Road".

"PC Vale said. At 11.5pm on the 7th inst I was on duty near Red Rose Farm, when 1 saw a fire at High Elms Farm. Proceeding to the farm I found the stack well alight. At 5.30 next Morning I searched around the stack and found some footprints coming from the prisoner's lodgings. With PC Marjoram I compared prisoner's boots and saw they corresponded with the footprint".

The prisoner was remanded in custody but later found not guilty.

Until the nineteenth century, educational standards in England were very poor. As official documents testify, many people were illiterate, signing marriage registers etc with "their mark". This changed from 1870 when Forster's Education Act set up School Boards. A 'School Return' in 1870 confirmed that Blackmore, with a population of 644. had "nothing but a site to supply the deficiency". It adds: "Mr Callender [the Vicar] tells me that there is no probability of getting a Church School built. They will have a Rates school in their parish"¹¹. The school was opened seven years later and bears the date 1877. Having been a Youth Centre since a larger school was built in 1970, it is now virtually unused, awaiting possible conversion to a house. I hope that it is not demolished.

We then walked to the modem Village Hall and along Green Lane.

The Black Death swept England in 1348, reaching Essex in the following year. Locally the manors of Fingrith and Blackmore suffered badly. New roads bypassed Blackmore Manor; these remain as Green Lane (Service Lane) and Red Rose Lane. They serve as a reminder to those dark days. Near the church are boulders thought to cover plague pits, containing the bodies of victims of the epidemic.

Back at the church, and before tea and cake, the afternoon concluded with a tour of the building and a talk on its famous bell tower which Nikolaus Pevsner (1954) describes as "one of the most impressive, if not the most impressive. of all timber towers in England"¹².

Bell tower interior

Inside the floor area measures 28 feet by 26% feer, making it the largest of the ten bell towers in Essex. It was built at the west end of the church, covering the Norman doorway to the Priory. It is an amazing construction: "a most elaborate piece of carpentry and looks very powerful"¹³, says Pevsner. It is of "superlative quality" says Cecil Hewett, with similar joints to that of the Wheat Barn at Cressing Temple¹⁴. Unlike other belfries and bell towers, much of the timber is considered to be original. One expert says that the bell tower is over-engineered: some 30% of the timber could be removed and the structure would still stand.

Plan of Bell Tower (taken from Essex Review 1899)

In 2004. I led a project with the PCC to have the bell tower tree-ring dated. Dendrochronology, as it is called, applies the simple fact that all trees grow at different rates year on year, depending on weather conditions. Each year will leave a tree ring and by comparing the greater or lesser growth of samples of trees, by reference to surviving trees and dated timbers it is possible to determine the age of timber used in buildings. This is called cross-matching or cross-dating. This technique excites archaeologists because timber framed buildings were generally constructed using 'green' wood, which means that the age of a building can be determined with some precision, sometimes within a year of felling, provided the sapwood is present.

Samples are taken by using a hollow corer about 15 millimetres in diameter, connected to an electric drill. The core extracts data containing a number of annual tree rings.

In all, nine samples were taken from Blackmore's bell tower for analysis under the microscope: seven at ground floor level and two more from the bell frame. The samples from the bell frame failed to date, so it could not be determined whether or not the bell frame is contemporary with the construction of the tower. One other sample at floor level also failed to date.

Of the six remaining, three gave precise felling dates. This is because, during fieldwork, complete bark edge and sapwood was found to be present in various locations. It was found that the oaks were "felled over the space of three winters, in 1397/98. 1398/99 and 1399/1400, suggesting a date for construction of the tower in 1400. or one or two years after this date"¹⁵. Until then the date of construction was thought to have been 1480.

The west window of the bell tower, thought to have been a later insertion, was also determined as being contemporary with the construction of the bell tower.

The date is a major new discovery and has the effect of rewriting the history of Blackmore. For the first time, we know that the north doorway to the church must have been pierced about the same time. Also, the date is near to that of the construction of the roof over the Nave. At the end of the nineteenth century the sixteen coloured heraldic devices on the ceiling were analysed and a date of 1381 to 1397 determined. These shields have strong associations with the de Vere family, and it is possible that they were the benefactors of both the nave roof and the bell tower1.

This indicates that the wealth of the Priory was at its greatest at the end of the fourteenth century and that since then Blackmore has not been as rich.

Minutes of the P.C.C.¹ Meeting held on Tuesday 31st May 1949 at 8pm at Bridge Farm, Stanford Rivers

Present all members of the Council except Sir Drummond Smith who had written apologising for his absence.

War Memorial

The Rector explained that the reason that the mecting had been convened was because of the War Memorial. The church had been packed to capacity for the Service of Unveiling and Dedication. It had been a beautiful service which for him had been spoiled by the receipt by him on the following morning of an unpleasant letter from a former member of the congregation who after drawing attention to errors in spelling criticised the memorial as being not worthy of those who gave their lives. She had hoped for a stained glass window.

Mr Millbank in reply defended the action by the Council and said that their decision to erect a plaque was correct and that they had done their best in the circumstances and with the money available.

Mr Pearl who had been Treasurer of the Fund supported him. He traced the history of the Fund mentioning the meetings held after the War by the Welcome Home Fund Committee, correspondence that had taken place with the Secretary, Essex County Council and with the Charity Commissioners who had finally given their approval to the money in hand being used for the erection of a plaque.

The Rector said that the mistakes in lettering were of course to be regretted. Consideration was also to be given to the inclusion of 3 further names Aylmer. Bird and Phillibrown. Aylmer should be included if he was killed in 1945 and, if his parents approved of the inclusion and Bird and Phillibrown if their parents similarly approved. Messrs Woodrow. Hinman, Gladwell, Pearl, Millbank & Kerr undertook to make exhaustive enquiries concerning the possibility of further names

The Council agreed unanimously that the corrections and additions should be put in hand as soon as possible and charged to Church Expenses. The Standing Committee were given power to proceed.

Private William Attridge - a WWII Memorial, St Margaret's, Stanford Rivers

"A Meeting of the Parochial Church Council Meeting was held on 22"4 November 1965 at The Rectory

... The Rector's Report ...

3 The Rector continued his report stating that the War Graves Commission had increased the payment they made for the one grave for which they are responsible from 5/-[25p.] to 12/- [60p.] p.a."

The grave, the subject of the item, is the grave of Private William Attridge. He was the only soldier among the 20 men from the parish of Stanford Rivers who died in WWI in being buried in England, in St Margaret's.¹

Does any reader know when such payments for the upkeep of these local graves ceased?

Under the provisions of the Local Govemnment Act 1894. parish councils could be established in rural areas with a population of over 300. In parishes with a population of between 200-300 a parish council could be established if a parish meeting agreed to.

The first meeting of the Stanford Rivers Parish Council was held on the 4th December 1894. The following were elected as Councillors :-

Not elected:

Piggott Brothers

The carly years of the nineteenth century were an exciting time for a burgeoning aviation industry. Piggott Brothers & Co., Limited were one of the companies involved.²⁹ Piggotts supplied tenting for housing aircraft, and an incident regarding this activity has been reported in a previous issue of this joumal. The incident was an accident where one of Piggotts' tents blew down and severely damaged a plane within the tent. A subsequent court case brought by the plane's owners sought recompense against Piggotts. This court case, together with examples of contemporary advertising in journals, demonstrated the position of the company in the new marketplace. However, this involvement went further into the industry.²¹

Piggotts also developed and manufactured two aircraft. Whilst the production of hangars was quite consistent with their usual business in canvas and tents, the construction of aircraft was not and would appear to have been a significant departure from their usual work. However. during this carly period of growth the industry was immature and many new entrants were drawn into the field, willing to take up the engineering challenge and, of course, spurred by the attraction of future revenues for those successful. Piggotts would already have contacts in the field.

The theoretical principles of flight were in their relative infancy and the apparent absence of any conventions permitted an amazing variety of aircraft designs. These designs embodied an assortment of innovative detail, and Piggotts' aircraft were no exception. Much of this appears fanciful today, but at the time it must have been a stimulating, and sometimes dangerous, activity in which to be a pioneer.

A Biplane

Piggott Brothers accepted the challenge early in 1910.²² Presumably with little relevant background, they found it necessary to use the services of a skilled aircraft engineer and Mr S. C. Parr was engaged. A biplane was the result of the collaboration. An carly description was published in Flight of 21 May 1910. Plan and clevation views of the plane are shown in figures 1 and 2.²³ The Flight article notes the forthcoming trials of the plane and recommends that Piggotts "should be watched with extreme interest". The design was "in cvery way uncommon", but noteworthy overall was the great size with the wingspan of 60ft (18.28m), necessary to achieve the aim to carry a passenger alongside the pilot. The length of the plane was 34 ft (10.36m), The design owed much to the work of Frederick William Lanchester, one of the greatest thinkers in acronautics of his day, thus ensuring that the basic rules of flight for flying machines were observed. Apart from the size, the major aspect of the design was the general use of aluminium in the construction.²⁴ The two propellers, mounted in-line. in tandem, were comparatively large with diameters of 13ft 6in (4.10m) and 8ft 2in (2.50m), for the forward and aft propellers, respectively. They were constructed of two sheets of pressed aluminium joined together, The weight saved would have been important when the power-to-weight ratio of the engine was low, and the pilot, and maybe a passenger, was a necessary dead weight.

It may be thought that the wings of the aircraft would have been canvas covered, in keeping with the tent business of Piggotts, but canvas was too heavy for the purpose. Instead the covering utilised a waterproofed. fireproofed cotton fabric -"special Piggott", Jane's adds - and when dressed the fabric weighed just 3'/4 oz per sq yd. The total weight of the plane was slightly over half a ton.

The propeller mechanism was judged by Flight to be "uncommon". The propellers were driven by a chain mechanism through a differential gear, which automatically maintained an cqual load on both forward and aft propellers. The gear gave rise to the propellers being contra-rotating! Their size also required that they were controlled by a clutch, and in this case a leather friction clutch was employed similar to that used on cars of the period.

Larkhill Trials

The plane was entered in the Larkhill Trials of 15 July, 1912. The trials were a demonstration of aircraft submitted for adoption by the Royal Flying Corps (RFC).²⁵ The entries were judged according to their speed. rate of climb, gliding capability, ability to land in a ploughed field with furrows 6in deep, ease of starting through the swinging of the propellers, and the time and ease required for the dismantling of the aircraft. Control on the ground was a further requirement, presumably for the safety of onlookers. Some idea of the leisurely pace of flying at the time is conveyed by the ability of the tractor biplane entered by Edwin Alliot Verdon Roe to stop inside 45m when landing into a 14mph headwind.²⁶

Only five of the entries were totally British and the trials were international. A total of thirty-one machines competed including Piggott Brothers Tractor Biplane. It was then fitted with a 35hp Anzani engine, but the plane had easily the lowest power of all the entries. Parr was the pilot. It was not unusual in this early period in the development of aviation to experience an accident, usually referred to as a 'smash'. One of the entries of Samuel Franklin Cody, an energetic American flier. was retired after hitting a stray cow. However, this was not the only entry from Cody and a Cody biplane won the competition, with a Deperdussin monoplane in second place. Despite his win, the RFC and the War Office did not select Cody's aircraft for adoption. Instead, they chose the B.E.I made by the Royal Aircraft Factory, and following the trials the manufacture of this aircraft was put out to manufacturing contract.²⁷ Little of the subsequent history of the Piggott Brothers biplane was heard subsequently.

A Monoplane

Piggott Brothers also built a monoplane. The plane was displayed at the Olympia Aero Show of 1911.²⁸ The plane was remarkable for being aerodynamic. It was possibly the first aircraft in the United Kingdom and maybe even the first in the world to exhibit such an advance - probably the result of the manufacturer being skilled in tentage and using the Piggott "special" fabric covering. The pilot and passenger(s) were completely enclosed and a door permitted access. The pilot looked through a small window, before the use of perspex, and slits in the fuselage were provided for the passengers.

The degree of streamlining may be judged by the mounting of the radiator above the pilot's cabin and conformal with the fuselage surface. The four-wheeled undercarriage was not covered, contrasting with the neat cven futuristic, fuselage and wing appearance. A notable safety feature was the duplication of the plane's control wires. Power was obtained from a four-cylinder 80hp Vivinus engine. The plane had a span of 30ft 6in and length of 24ft 6in. The plane had been designed to carry a load of 550lb on an empty weight of 8501b.

There appears to be doubt about whether the plane flew. Piloted by S. C. Parr it was reported to have left the ground at Hendon in November 1911, but the under-carriage was damaged during the trial. Early in 1912 the landing gear was rebuilt abd strengthened but there appear to be no further reports of flight. It has been suggested that the rudder was very small, insufficient to allow controlled flight.

Footnote

Piggott Brothers adventure into the field of aviation was notable even in a period of rapid technical advance achieved by a growing number of parallel manufacturers. It was a fascinating period. Their major contribution may well have been the introduction acrodynamic design and manufacture. This short article is not the final word on the subject; it is 'work in progress'. However, it is understood that the records of Piggott Brothers' were incinerated many years ago.

Acknowledgement

Thanks are again due to George Bromley whose contributions of both material and discussion have proved invaluable.

Connor, J. E., Branch Line to Ongar; including the Hainault Loop,
(Middleton Press, 2007), £14.95

The book presents a collection of interesting photographs, postcards and
some maps relating to the stations and trains Ongar railway line,
Commentary accompanies each of the illustrations, which are arranged
under the 25 stations on the line.

A summary of the history of the line is included at the beginning of the
book. It may be remembered that the L.N.E.R. operation of the line
ceased in 1957 when the underground was introduced. Blake Hall
station closed on the 30h October 1981. (Was Blake Hall really the
favourite station of John Betjeman?) ** The line from Epping to Ongar
closed on 6h December 1982.

One reproduction of a poster advertises a farm collection and delivery
service from Ongar, Blake Hall and North Weald. From 15h October
1928, L.N.E.R. were prepared to deliver agricultural traffic to and from
farms. As displayed:

"The charges for the service will be:
Up to 1 mile 2/- per ton
Over 1 mile and up to 3 miles . . 3/-
Over 3 miles - 6d. for each additional mile,

Minimum charge as for 20cwts.

Special charges will be made for the cartage of Hay and Straw."

** Yes. Blake Hall was a favourite of John Betjeman ...
From a book. "John Betjeman. On Trains" by Jonathon Clanoey
(Methuen. 2006):

"This bucolic line was to become the most unlikely electric outpost of
London Transport's Central Line when the last steam trains ran in 1957.

Betjeman once said that his ideal job would have been station master a1
Blake Hall, a pretty little red brick station (now a private residence)
along a line that might have been two hundred miles for the City of
London in the 1950s

The Essex Journal is published twice a year and has been running now for a number of years. However it has recently undergone a 'make-over' in an attempt to attract new readers. Each journal costs in the region of £1000 to produce and unless new subscribers are found it is in danger of folding.

The Autumn 2007 edition runs to some 68 (A4) pages and covers a variety of different topics.

The management of the Journal is under the control of an editorial Board consisting of reps of the Essex Archacological And Historical Congress, The Friends of Historic Essex, the Essex Record Office and the Hon Editor.

In 2006/07 Epping Forest Distnict Council invited the residents of the district to nominate their favourite trees. The best fifty, selected by an expert panel from the nominations, were to become the 50 Favorite Trees of the district. A variety of criteria were adopted for selection including trees that were large, historic, old or just umnusual, bur the result is a collection of fifty magnificent trees

New photographs of the fifty favouries were taken and eacb one became the subject of a 'poster', information having been added about the tree. The fifty "posters' then formed an exhibition at the Epping Forest Distriet Museum, Waltham Abbey, held from 3" Noveniber 2007 to 8° January 2008.

Space has not permitted the display of all fifty posters in Ongar but a smaller exhibition of 'posters' of those trees that are local to Ongar, is to be mounted at the Great Stony Arts & Education Centre from Sattunrdey 16° February, until Monday, 25" Febraary.

Please take the opportunity to visit the exhibition. Parking at Great Stony and entry to the exhibition is expected to be free. The launch off the exhibition will coincide with the publication of the Orge Tree Strategy.

Thursday 28th February
Ongar High Street - beyond the Façade
Bob Wingham

Thursday 271h March
Annual General Meeting
And local films with David Welford.

All meeting in Toot Hill Village Hall commencing at 8pm
Coffee and Biscuits
Members £1- Non members £2