To start at the beginning we go back in time before the Norman Conquest when the English countryside was divided into many Manors under local lords or ‘Thegns’ as part of the Saxon kingdom. At that time Theydon was spelt as ‘Taidena’ or ‘Teindena’, the name probably derived from the Saxon for ‘thatch valley’. One of these Saxon thegns, Hacun is known to us as far back as 1041, the time of Edward the Confessor. It was an extensive ‘Manor’ or parcel of land and it was not until after the Conquest, when William was rewarding his followers, that it was divided into the three Manors we know today – Mount, Gernon and Bois. By the time of the Domesday Survey, 1080-1086, Theydon Bois had already passed to a Frenchman, one Peter de Valoines.

The Essex historian Philip Morant, writing in 1786, stated that the addition of the word ‘Bois’ was given because Theydon stood more among the woods than the other Manors. However it is not until about 1253 that the addition is found and then it was spelt ‘Boys’, the Norman French for wood. In 1908 a Mr Winston wrote an article querying the name ‘Bois’ as being French, tracing it to earlier Teutonic origins. Frankly I think it is a fanciful article though it is of interest in that he lists the variation of spellings gathered from charters and land grants down the centuries: 1272 – Tenden Boys

                              1345 – Theydon Bois (first occurrence)

                              1507 – Boyse;

                              1558 – Boyes;

                              1605 – Boyce;

                              1642 – Thoydon Boys. And so on…..

It seems evident that the original spelling was ‘Boys’, being pronounced like the sound in ‘voice’ rather than in ‘noise’. From previous researches it would seem to me that the different modes of spelling are connected with local pronunciation and whoever was the scrivener of the time.

Last month I wrote of the ‘origins’ of Theydon Bois, but what was our village like in those far-off days? First we will note that it was very sparsely populated and that those that did scratch a living had their homes along the road from Abridge to the ‘gate of the forest’ roughly where the Bull Inn now stands. It was along here on the site of Theydon Hall, itself rebuilt in the late 18th century, that there lived the principle inhabitant, a knight by the name of William de Bosco. Close by was the little church of St Mary’s, possibly built by him or a predecessor for it was the common practise for the principle inhabitant, generally the Lord of the Manor, to build the place of worship. As it happens, de Bosco was not the Lord; this title belonged to Robert de Valoines who lived elsewhere. An engraving of this church has come down to us in Ogbourne’s ‘History of Essex’ 1814, and in no sense could it be called an imposing structure. Indeed, in 1253 the patronage of the Church and its income was given to the Priory of St Bartholomew, West Smithfield – later to become the famous hospital ‘Barts’. This itself is an indication of the poor standing of the Church and indeed parish, for much about the same time the Manor was given by the Lord to the monks of Waltham Abbey.

But why was the settlement along this strip of trackway? I think we can list the reasons as:

(1) It was the only part of the Manor capable of being farmed, the remainder being forest.

(2) Access to water from the River Roding.

(3) The road itself was one of those leading to the famous Abbey of Waltham and along which would pass pilgrims.

(4) Settlement anywhere else would have been difficult. Our ‘Village Green’ was then but forest scrub waste which never-the-less was still subject to the harsh forest laws of the Crown concerning trespass.

It is difficult to say when the small population of Theydon left their homesteads along the Abridge road and started to cluster around the Green for we remember that it was part of the forest and thus subject to the Crown. Perhaps we have an indication in that in 1571, ‘The inhabitants of Theydon Bois who had encroached upon the Queen’s Forest by estimate 30 acres were presented at Epping Court’. So writes Mr A.C. Edwards in his book ‘Elizabethan Life’! Certainly by 1777, the date of Andre and Chapman’s map, dwellings around the Green are more numerous, so perhaps the inhabitants were successful. The map ‘names’ Piggotts, Theydon Hall, the Church, Theydon Gate and the Parsonage as being along the highway. The Parsonage (now Parsonage Farm), was, before 1839, the dwelling place of the Parish priest and is probably one of the oldest houses in the locality. The ‘Bull Inn’ (of which I shall write more fully in due course), can be traced back from parish records to 1656, but is probably older. How one would like to know with some certainty the dates of Pakes Farm, the cottages known as ‘The Cot’ and ‘Trail’, and that of the rather Flemish-looking brick house at the bottom of Theydon Park Road – not to mention ‘Baldocks’, a former farmhouse, for all are shown on the 1777 map. Also noted are the Almshouses built in 1753 ‘In trust for the Poor, Aged and Impotent of Theydon Boys (sic) who are or shall be maintained by the Parish…’ Burch Hall (yes, spelt in this way) was the residence of Edward Elrington who was chief butler to King Edward VI, Queen Mary and Elizabeth I – to serve and survive three such diverse monarchs in such troublous times was no mean achievement – the present Birch Hall was built in 1832. (Since demolished and replaced by the present neo-Palladian pile by Mr Sullivan, co-owner of West Ham FC. PJN)  In 1839 the former vicarage was built and four years later the old church was pulled down and a new erected on the present site, to serve a parish then numbering 538 adults in 102 houses – modern Theydon Bois had begun.

 Having described from parish documentary sources the origins and growth of Theydon Bois over the centuries, it would be my wish to ‘clothe’ these facts or years with people. As always it is more easily said than done for there is so little to go on when it comes to the lives of ordinary people. The Registers themselves are not very explicit although there are occasional tantalising glimpses:

           1725 May 28 – Beadle the cobbler’s wife was buried.

           1739 February 24 – James Pitt esq. was buried, a very serviceable Gent in Phisick. Was this gentleman our first local doctor?

           1761 November 8 – Elizabeth Perry buried in Woollen.

 This is the first of many such entries and refers to two Acts passed in the reign of Charles II for the encouragement of the woollen trade which required all bodies to be buried in woollen shrouds.

 The wedding registers show that most were illiterate in that few were able to sign their names and made a hesitant ‘cross’ as ‘their mark’, this is quite usual for the period in any parish. But it has to be admitted that it was the rich and eccentric whose names have come down to us and one who amply fulfilled both requirements was the notorious miser of Theydon Hall, John Elwes, of whom many tales were both told and written – perhaps it was an inherited trait for his mother was left nearly one hundred thousand pounds and yet starved to death. His uncle, the rich Sir Harvey Elwes, who lived in Suffolk was also a byword for miserliness so when he visited him, John Elwes would dress as poorly as he could and it is said that his uncle would then view him with a miserable kind of satisfaction. There they would sit with a single stick upon the fire, and with one glass of wine occasionally between them then they would retire to bed to save the candle.

I finished my article last month by writing of John Elwes the notorious miser who at one time lived at Theydon Hall, the old Manor House of our parish and situated on the Abridge Road. His uncle, Sir Harvey Elwes lived at Stoke-by-Clare in Suffolk and likewise a miser of more than local repute. He died in 1763 at the age of eighty-seven. In his will he left his entire fortune to his nephew John Meggot on the condition that he assume the name and arms of Elwes. He not only assumed them but also his uncle’s habits for from being a rake and dandy about town, he became a byword for miserliness. On one occasion when staying with a relative in London he cut both legs by running into a sedan chair. After the physician had made his examination Elwes said to him: “In my opinion my legs are not much hurt. You think they are, so I will make this agreement – I will take one leg and you shall take the other; you shall do what you please with yours, and I will do nothing with mine, and I wager your bill that my leg gets better the first”. It did! For a time he lived in Suffolk and became a Member of Parliament, but later he moved to Theydon Hall described as a damp and dismal farmhouse on the borders of Epping Forest. The elderly couple who kept house were the only tenants and indeed, the only people he saw for weeks on end. When a relative called on him he found the old man starving and lying ill in his room, refusing to see a doctor because of the expense. He died in 1889 in Berkshire where he had a country seat and where his two illegitimate sons by his housekeeper, lived. After his death his sons apparently lived in Theydon Hall for it is recorded that one of them, another John, died on April 10th 1817 leaving ‘Eight Crowns to the Poor of the Parish’. This benefaction is recorded on what is called a benefaction board on the South Wall of our Church having been taken from the old Church where many of the Elwes family are buried.

Roughly speaking, there are four types of village. First, those grouped about a central open space, green or square. Secondly, those around a central feature such as a church. Then the ‘Street’ villages where houses are strung out along the roadway and fourthly, the entirely shapeless village – their first settlement and later growth being determined by chance. Theydon Bois as I have pointed out in these articles, started life probably in the last category and as forest laws were relaxed, progressed to the first for few would deny that our large Green is the focal point and ‘lung’ of our Community and that the feature of the Green is the Oak Avenue. These trees (although there have been replacements) were planted in 1832. There had been controversy about the exact date but in a letter dated 23rd March 1902, Mr. Henry Halldare, by then an old man stated:

 ‘I remember my father, Robert Westley Halldare planting the avenue on Theydon Green. I was a boy at the time, in 1832. I think he did it merely to beautify the place. The holes were all dug ready. We drove over from Cranbrook Park, lunched at the Bulls Head, and met the bailiff who had the trees ready. Afterwards they were fenced to protect them from the cattle….’

 A further note of 1902 states: ‘Assuming the trees were ten years old when planted they would be 80 in 1902. There are 31 trees in each of the two rows’. There then follows a list of the girth measurements of each of the trees taken 2’ 6” from the ground. (In 2010 two new rows of oaks were planted by the City of London, as owners of the Green, which is part of Epping Forest, because the original trees are gradually failing. PJN)

 The Dares (sometimes the ‘Hall’ is prefixed or hyphenated) were Lords of the Manor and patrons of the church. Some members of the family are buried in our churchyard others, so it is said, were brought from the chancel of the old church and are buried in a specially prepared vault beneath the present one. (The entrance is outside the east end of the church and was only recently re-discovered when the stone slab covering it collapsed; it is now marked by lighter coloured gravel. PJN)

Continuing my ‘royal’ from the ‘Editorial’ page brings me to the Royal Arms displayed in many churches including our own. Most early examples were erected during the reign of Henry VIII, to mark the cleavage with Rome and to confirm that the king was supreme head on earth of the Church of England. Very few however survive from this time being torn down in the reign of Mary, but with the accession of Elizabeth, they again became numerous.

Our own Royal Coat of Arms is painted on a panel about 4 feet square and dates from the reign of James I. Those of James and indeed Charles I are rare, for they were pulled down and destroyed during the Commonwealth. At the Restoration the placing of the Royal Coat of Arms in Churches became compulsory and an Act made vicars and churchwardens liable to legal penalties if they were not shown. Thus the Royal Arms after 1660 are fairly common.

It is said that only four James I Coats of Arms are in existence – Blisland in Cornwall, Winsford in Somerset, Marham in Norfolk and our own at Theydon Bois. Not all would be alike for they were often the work of a local carpenter and/or sign writer. Ours for example has unusual interest in that the head of the monarch is in the centre at the bottom of the board and the same head is to be found as the lion’s face (there are the usual lion and unicorn supporters).

Care should be taken not to confuse the Royal Arms with those of Hatchments. These are lozenge-shaped arms. In the 17^th and 18^th centuries they were hung outside the houses of families entitled to bear arms when a prominent member had died. Here they remained for some months after which they would be removed to the Church of which the deceased was patron or where he had worshipped. We have six of these, two to the Wild family and four to the Grafton-Hall-Dare families.

In this issue and the next I want to write of some of our more interesting gravestones. One of our oldest but now badly defaced and thus almost indecipherable is just to the front of the church door near the old yew walk, which, up until 1913 when a further portion on the west was added, formed the main walk to the church door from Coppice Row. Anyway, here is the full inscription:

           ‘Mr. Joseph Boulcott, late Clerk of Cheque Tower, London. d Oct 22 1850 aged 74. Served in Holland under the late Duke of York – with the Army of Sicily and Sir John Moore at the battle of Corunna, and also in Spain, Portugal and France. He was the confidential adherent of the Duke of Wellington from the Grand Victory of Waterloo until the withdrawal of the Allies from Paris, 1818’.

There is a bit more, but not strictly relevant to my theme for here we have lying in our Churchyard a soldier of Waterloo and a friend of the Iron Duke no less. Many years later in the 1890’s, iron railings were erected around the churchyard and the vicar of the time, the Rev. C.E. Campbell records that in order to raise funds he sent a copy of the inscription to a son of the Duke receiving in reply a letter of thanks and £5 towards the cost.

The office of Parish Clerk in days gone by was not only of ancient origin but also of considerable importance within the village community. At a time when the Vicar and Squire ran almost everything, this man with his modicum of learning who booked Christenings, Weddings and Funerals, made entries in the registers, led the congregation in the singing of the responses and generally ‘saw to everything’ was held in high regard. A good parish clerk was worth his weight in gold and not surprisingly the office was held by members of the same family over the generations. It was so with a family by name of Collis. Look then when you have the time at the back of the Church where a square columnar stone with base and cap records Mr. Samuel Collis who died on 20^th June 1853 in his 76^th year. The vicar of the time, the Rev. G. Hambleton, records this:

           ‘Samuel Collis, Clerk of the Parish 49 years on 15^th April last. He was so much respected that on his entering the 50^th year of his office, a jubilee collection was made on his behalf. Nearly £25 was the result. May 15^th was the last day of his acting in his official capacity. His grandson, James Pearce, succeeded him as Clerk on Sunday May 29^th 1853’.

           A further note elsewhere states that James was in turn succeeded by William Pearce, another grandson of Samuel Collis in or about 1868. Thus, and at the time this was recorded in 1910, the family had held the office of Parish Clerk for well over a century.

 From our Churchwardens’ account book for the year 1824 I note that the salary paid to Mr. Collis was £5 p.a. in two half-yearly instalments. He would of course receive other emoluments of office and indeed, might well hold other jobs within the community of a minor clerical or administrative nature. The payment recorded in these accounts was for 1919 when the Clerk received the princely sum of £9 and the last in the account books.

In my last two articles, I wrote of two who lie in our churchyard after widely differing, but in both cases, distinguished careers – Joseph Boulcott and Samuel Collis, parish clerk for 49 years. I write now of two more for but a few feet away from the east end of the church are the graves of the Hall-Dare family whose hatchments (coats of arms), line the walls of our church. On one of these graves can be found these words:

‘Here after his many long journeys rests J. Theodore Bent FRGS., husband of Mabel Virginia Anna Hall-Dare….’

James Theodore Bent (1852-97), explorer and archaeologist went to South Africa in 1891. His ‘Ruined Cities of Mashonaland’ records his exploration of the striking remains of Zimbabwe. The foot of the stone appropriately reads: ‘God’s gift a traveller’s joy’.

 Moving around to the north-west of the churchyard we come across the grave of that most remarkable Victorian lady, Frances Mary Buss, a legend in her own lifetime and founder of the North London Collegiate School for Girls. Born on August 16^th 1827, the daughter of a ‘Punch’ artist and illustrator of books, she developed a new system which revolutionised the methods of teaching and when she died her school was one of the most famous in England. She owned a house in our parish and in the north wall of the Church is a stained glass window to her memory depicting (on the left), ‘The three daughters of the Interpreter’ (and on the right), ‘The Interpreter entrusting his three daughters to Greatheart’ both scenes from Bunyan’s ‘Pilgrims Progress’. In the churchyard lies also her brother the Rev. Septimus Buss, a religious writer and one-time vicar of the parish of Shoreditch.

In the ‘Essex Review’ of 1911, reference is made to an incident which occurred when the Epping Forest Commission was sitting which throws interesting light on some local names. At the time in our parish there was a wood known as ‘Red Oaks Wood’. A lawyer from the Commission enquired of the oldest inhabitant whether he knew of the existence of such a place; the reply was “No”. “Try him with Ruddocks”, said the steward of the manor who was sitting nearby. To the amended question the answer came pat, “Yes, I know Ruddocks”. And here, as so often, the spoken word was nearer truth than the written one. ‘Red Oaks’ is merely a modern version of the name of one of the tenants of the manor in A.D. 1323, a Thomas Ruddock, to whom the wood may have belonged, or against whose holding it lay.

 In like manner the origin of Thrifts Hall is curious. Many years ago a wood known as Theydon Frith, extended from the village green possibly to the marshes by the Roding. In course of time the wood was grubbed up and converted into arable; but the name frith still clung to the land, but the word had passed out of use and conveyed no meaning. Thrift, on the other hand, was a known word with meaning; and so it took the place of frith. A little later and an ‘s’ was added; 14 acre Thrifts and Boggy Thrifts marked two fields, while Thrift Wood stood to remind men of the ancient frith. Then someone came along, built a house, and, regarding Thrifts as the possessive form of a surname, called it Thrifts Hall.

 And on the subject of names I was curious as to why that attractive piece of wasteland opposite my house and adjoining the churchyard was called the ‘Hoppit’. I researched it and found that it should be spelt ‘Hoppet’ and that it was a local and rare word peculiar to Essex meaning small meadow and that the first record of it is in a deed dating from 1701. Going back further it is suggested it might mean ‘hog-pit’.

As the cricket season gets underway once more, it may be of interest to quote from an article in the 1932 parish magazine.

“The present club was born in 1896. I believe there was a Village Club prior to that date, but from the appearance of the playing pitch on the north side of the Green when the new club was started, it must have been some years previous to that date. The scheme to start the club was inaugurated at a smoking concert held at the Bull Inn, with the late Mr Gerald Buxton in the chair, supported by practically all the male sex of the parish, and a silver collection was taken to give the club a start, and I may add it did not stop at silver for there were several coins which we do not see at present times of a yellow hue. Mr Buxton kindly made arrangements for Freeman, then groundsman at the Essex County Club at Leyton, to give us his expert advice and he went further by lending his men and horses to level and roll the ground in the meantime. Mr R.T. Bell, of Braeside, placed his lawns at the club’s disposal for practise.

In 1897, Mr Gerald Buxton arranged a dramatic entertainment at Riggs Retreat, as a result of which enough funds were forthcoming to enlarge and lay out the ground at a depth of twelve feet all round, giving better wickets and fielding spaces. With the object of running a reserve team, the members of the Woburn Cricket Club, then defunct, were in 1902, enrolled in the Theydon Bois team. In the same year Mr Gerald Buxton built a substantial pavilion on the site of the old Pound. This has been removed to the new cricket ground in England’s Lane, sometimes known as Loughton Lane, the ground being the generous gift of Mr Buxton for the use of sports for the parish, and is used not only by the Cricket Club but by the Football and Tennis Clubs. NB. The Club opened their season on Whit Monday 1896 with a win, but against who is not recorded.”

There was, one would imagine, great activity in Theydon Bois soon after Queen Victoria came to the throne in 1837, for the Rev. Barton Lodge vicar at the time was determined that three things should happen to cope with an increasing population settling around the Green. In 1841 there were 538 inhabitants living in 102 houses but the Church was way out along the Abridge Road and there was no school. He found a sympathetic helper in Mrs. Elizabeth Hall-Dare, Lady of the Manor who gave grants of land for Vicarage (1939), School (1840) and Church (1843).

In these notes I am concerned with the School, initially a very small structure with a school house. This eventually cracked and was taken down in 1901 when an extension to the school building was made. In 1902 Mr Gerald Buxton built a pair of red brick houses just north of the vicarage in Piercing Hill, one of which was residence for the school mistress. Other extensions and improvements were made even to the extent of Mr Buxton presenting swings and a roundabout. It is recorded that in 1893 the average attendance was 69 There was some concern in 1979 that Mrs. Maynard, schoolmistress was uncertificated and it was recommended by the Managing body that a female pupil teacher be appointed to assist her. (Mind you she had been teaching at the school for thirty years, retiring a year later – was this the reason?) In the following year four ladies were appointed as a Committee to visit the school and inspect the needlework of the girls.

There were always financial difficulties and the Trustees found difficulty on raising money to keep the school viable and buildings in repair, so in 1911 it was resolved to transfer the school to the County authorities for day to day running purposes.

I came across this article on the hornbeam which grows in our Forest dated 1909:

‘In the time when the charcoal burner’s little camp was a familiar sight in our forests, and his lonely labour day and night never went without due recompense, the beech-like hornbeam was of much greater economic value than it is today. The burner made the best kind of charcoal from its hard horny wood, and the men who pursued that ancient calling in Epping Forest were particularly fortunate, seeing that great stretches of that grand old woodland are clothed almost entirely with hornbeam. There were other olden uses to which the wood of this tree was widely put. Rustic workmen fashioned millwheel cogs and cattle yokes, among other varied things for which there is little demand now days, even in the most old fashioned corners of rural England. The working up of hornbeam was a laborious task requiring the sharpest tools constantly requiring a fresh edge. The chief economic use of hornbeam now is as a hedge plant, particularly on clay lands. Planted in company with thorns it makes an absolutely impenetrable barrier between fields.’

NB. As a footnote to the above I recall reading that the name for charcoal burner was ‘collier’, which accounts for ‘Collier Street’ and the appearance of the name ‘Collier’ in country districts denoting the places where charcoal was prepared.

 And another article stated that lopping the branches of the trees within reach of the axe meant that the Forest was deprived of what would have been magnificent trees if allowed natural growth – incidentally we see two such magnificent oak trees at the entrance to the Churchyard, the one on the right of the lych-gate being, so it is said, three or four hundred years old.

November – this time of Remembrance so I looked at an old parish magazine, that for 1918. In April it stated that ‘A number of men, about 800, from the Essex Regiment have recently been captured by the Germans and the Turks, and there is a scheme for adopting them by the villages of Essex. Field Marshal Sir Evelyn Wood has asked Miss Debenham if she can arrange the ‘adoption’ by the residents of Theydon Bois of one or more prisoners. Owing to the generosity of subscribers in this village, sufficient money has been promised quarterly to complete the cost of parcels for three men…..’ And then this note for the magazine for April 1919: ‘Miss Debenham has now wound up the Theydon Bois Prisoners of War Fund. All the three prisoners adopted by the village have been repatriated. They all agree they would have fared badly but for the parcels which, on the whole reached them regularly and in good condition. The Fund has paid for 105 parcels sent through the Essex Regiment Prisoners of War Fund and the rest has been spent on a parcel for each man since his return home.’

1919 also saw discussion as to what form the War Memorial should take. Suggestions were: A large Churchyard Cross; A drinking fountain on the Village Green; A memorial on ground of its own outside the Churchyard; A statue of a soldier in Khaki on the Green with an inscription on the base of the pedestal; A Record, the simplest possible, of the fallen, the main memorial to be the establishment of a fund for necessitous soldiers. All the relatives of the fallen were consulted and eventually the decision was made resulting in the fine memorial we see to this day.

There was also a ‘War Depot’ run by Miss Debenham which made 122,331 articles and raised £927 12s 10p and was open for 379 days.

I recently received a letter from America asking if I could trace from our Parish Registers, the marriage of an ancestor which took place in the late 19^th century. Such requests are by no means uncommon and in this case a relatively simple matter. But many are not, so why is this?

It was in 1538 that the Vicar General to Henry VIII, Thomas Cromwell, ordered records to be kept of Christenings, Marriages and Burials. This was necessary because, for but two years before, the Dissolution of the Monasteries had taken place and such records as had been kept were in such places, scribed by the hands of monks. These monastic records, called Obituary Registers, were not concerned with ordinary people, but with Kings, Bishops and Abbots etc. In theory then, it should be possible to go back to 1538 but there are many difficulties for not all parishes kept records well, if at all! Vestries would be damp and mice would be at work. Clerks, scarcely able to write made entries and made up spellings – sometimes whole pages would be torn out and used for other purposes.

Then, it must be remembered, entries were concerned with Christenings not births. Now this was fine when everyone was christened, but the rise of the Puritan parties in the late 16^th and 17^th centuries meant that not all were baptised as babies. Often too, there are gaps in Registers between 1650-1660 when many Anglican Clergy were ejected from their parishes by Oliver Cromwell.

 All of us should find it possible to trace back to 1837 by going to St. Catherine’s House, but as I say, to go further back will mean widening your search considerably – County Record Archives, Wills, monuments and Archaeological transactions. It’s not easy but worthwhile and fascinating if you don’t mind a few skeletons rattling around! 

A lych gate or corpse gate (Lych was the Saxon word for dead body) was and is a small roofed entrance building to a Churchyard. In olden days it served to shelter the body which was generally brought in its shroud (only the rich were buried in coffins) while it was being transferred from the road to the Parish bier. Inside the lych gate would be a stone or wooden shelf on which the body would rest. The roof also served to shelter the priest who would meet the funeral procession at the gate and there read the first part of the funeral service.

The main entrance to our own Church and Churchyard was from where the war memorial now stands – hence the avenue of yew trees still to be seen in front of the porch. Then, and in order to enlarge the Churchyard, a field on the western side was purchased and on October 2^nd 1913 was consecrated as an extension. In the following year the lych gate was built to a design by Mr Paul Waterhouse who had also designed the pulpit in the Church. In the archway cut deep is the text from Proverbs Ch.12, v.26 “There is no death” surmounted by a cross issuing out of the rays emblematic of the Sun of Righteousness. In the interior there is a stone with the inscription:

                                  ‘TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND IN LOVING MEMORY OF

JOSEPH ALFRED BUXTON

                            BORN 1904 DIED 1913 YOUNGER SON OF GERALD AND ETHEL

                        BUXTON OF BIRCH HALL HE GAVE THE BEST A CHILD CAN GIVE                                                                 

OF JOY AND LOVE AND NOW HAS GONE TO RECEIVE EXCEEDING

                        GREAT JOY AND THE GIFT OF GOD WHICH IS ETERNAL LIFE.’

The path from the lych gate then leads to another memorial to the child Joseph at the summit of the Churchyard.

Sometimes I am asked as to where I gather my information for this page – there is, I fear, no easy answer. However, each parish has its own records and registers and these especially if well kept are invaluable. The Church and Churchyard through monuments etc. provide visual history. In this parish we are also indebted to a Mr Arthur West of Clyst House, who at the beginning of this century made careful notes of the parish. In my own case and over the years through lecturing in local studies, I have built up my own collection of books on East Anglia and in particular, Essex, but for the serious student, pilgrimage to the Essex Record Office at Chelmsford is a must. There you will find all the proceedings of the various archaeological and historical societies as well as Wills, Maps, Registers, Cartularies, Documents and books on Essex. Their own publications, especially those by A.C. Edwardes, K.C. Newton and A.F.G. Brown are particularly helpful, as I might add, are the staff.

The basic reference work for any Essex writer is that by the Rev. Philip Morant who in the 1760s, published his ‘History and Antiquities of the County of Essex’. Others followed (and copied) him; Elizabeth Ogborne (1758-1853) and Thomas Wright (1810-77), to name but two. The late 19^th and early years of this century saw a veritable spate of Essex writers, never the less for depth of scholarship the reader should consult The Victoria County History of Essex (Available via the village website. PJN) and The Royal Commission on Historical Monuments.

More locally, I have always found the works of Sir William Addison, who lives at Epping, of absorbing interest and few if any know or understand our area better. For ‘countryside flavour’ then the writings of C. Henry Warren who lived near Finchingfield cannot be bettered. Oh, and if you ever come across that little book by Edward North Buxton simply entitled ‘Epping Forest’ and published in 1898 then snap it up!

 The difficulty in finding a name for the new development by the railway highlights the importance of existing names for clues as to the historical or geographical guide they give to an area. Incidentally, I’m not too keen on the name finally chosen which I understand is to be ‘Slade End’ – wasn’t the prison in Ronnie Barker’s TV series ‘Porridge’ named ‘Slade’? However the part of the forest immediately to the west of ‘The Plain’ is called Genesis Slade and I understand that a stream travels through the village from this site ending in the actual site of the new development, hence the name ‘Slade End’. Genesis presumably means ‘beginning’ but why Slade? (I think slade is Anglo-Saxon for valley. PJN) What’s the meaning here? Wouldn’t it have been more appropriate to have called our new area ‘Field View’ or some such? Anyway my intention in this page for the next few issues is to look at some of the derivations of names in Theydon Bois and such historical links as they afford.

 If I take these in alphabetical order then I would start with the Abridge Road. The river Roding is itself the parish boundary here. Abridge is a name meaning just that ‘a bridge’ and I have a note of it being there as far back as 1225. The present bridge in 1910 was said to be over a century old. (It is listed Grade II. PJN) Near the bridge was some land of about 11/2 acres called ‘The “Poors” Pieces of land’. It was land which had been bequeathed (by whom we do not know) to the poor of Theydon Bois. It was let and the rent given to the poor. The last amount I have mentioned is for 1909 when the rent was £1. The Abridge road itself was part of what was called ‘The Kings Highway’ leading to the Abbey of Waltham. Piggott’s Farm is shown on the Chapman and Andre map of 1772-4. The name ‘Piggott’ is not uncommon in Essex. In a list of those paying King’s Taxes in 1377, is one Johes Pygge and later there is an Edward Piggott.

Continuing my alphabetical history of names found in Theydon Bois, I come to the letter ‘B’ – Baldocks, Blackacre, The Bull and Birch Hall.

Baldock Farm-house as it was called in a note I have dated 1910, is described as being of small size built of red brick and of being quite two centuries old. It would seem probable that the name derives from that of a previous owner, although I can find no trace of it in our archives – unless of course it is a corruption of Burdock – a coarse weedy plant. It is located in the Chapman & Andre map of 1777 with nearby a building called ‘Trapps’ which appears to have been on or near the site of the Queen Victoria Beer House (so-called in 1910). The name ‘Trapps’ is found in an early will concerning Theydon Boys (sic) of 1490, whereby a certain Thomas Trapys left certain meads (meadows) to his son John.

Black acre (two distinct words originally), and called ‘Hilly Fields’ many years ago, is well remembered as a farm house but why the ‘Black’? Was it a difficult field to cultivate or had the soil some special dark feature?

 I have written of The Bull in a previous Newsletter, suffice it to say the there has been a building on this site for many centuries being the ‘gateway ‘to the forest. Originally called ‘Tylehouse’ it has been an Inn from at least 1656 when one Thomas Hanwell held the forest licence.

 Birch Hall – spelt as ‘Burch’ in old documents is interesting in that in 1319 there is a record of one ‘John ate Birches’ – did the birch tree proliferate here? Edward Elrington, Butler to Queen Elizabeth I had a substantial house here. In 1892 the present Birch Hall was built as the residence for Gerald Buxton, the Lord of the Manor, who took over the title from the family of the Hall-Dares. (Demolished in 1990 and replaced by David Sullivan with a neo-Palladian Mansion. PJN)

 Continuing my ‘historical’ alphabet and having reached the letter ‘B’ in the June issue, I cannot of course leave out Bell Common, still part of the ecclesiastical parish of Theydon Bois. In years gone by it was known as Beacon Common, but for what purpose this beacon was used or for that matter why it was changed to ‘Bell’ is uncertain. To the left as the road joins the London Road south of the Common stood the Mill hoppit, one of the two mills and the last that served the area. It had disappeared by 1895. Next to this was the Pound used for straying animals and drovers on their way to the London markets who used the Common extensively before the final stage of their journey. Across the road at this juncture was placed a turnpike in 1769 with fencing reaching to the Forest Gate Inn, thus effectively cutting off Bell Common from Theydon Bois and causing much discontent among local people who used the Common to get to Epping. The object of the fence was to force travellers through the turnpike and thus to pay tolls. Alongside the fence was a ditch, traces of which can still be seen.

 The surface of Bell Common has at some time been broken up with shallow pits dug for gravel or earth and probably used for repairing local roads and paths. Before the new road was built between Epping and the Wake Arms, the main route to Loughton from Epping was through Theydon Bois via Bell Common. There are some small Essex weather boarded cottages of considerable age and all in all making an area of considerable interest. The road to Ivy Chimneys was formerly known as Hawcock Lane and it would appear that the present name was given by reason of some cottages covered with ivy down the lane.

  In this issue I return to my historical alphabet of Theydon Bois and at once admit to certain difficulties, for the origin of names is beset with problems. Obviously as our area developed names with local association would be used and being a forest area then certain names are self-explanatory. Others would be used because they designated the character of the area in question – Hill Road and Orchard Drive are examples. Yet others are derived from the name(s) – or corruption of same – of previous owners: Gregories and Red Oaks (corruption of Ruddocks i.e. one Thomas Ruddock), all this is part and parcel of the ‘naming’ procedure adopted by local authorities.

 Indeed, when one examines the 18^th century map of the area very few names are to be found, I have it in front of me as I write and all I can find is Blackacre (farm), Priorshorne Corner (later to become Piershorne and later still Piercing Hill), Theydon Gate, Burch Hall and Burch wood and Hawcock Lane (now Ivy Chimneys). The main feature of the map is the manner in which the main Waltham Road winds through the parish with just a few houses dotted here and there around the eastern end of the Green, showing as I have always maintained that we grew from a hamlet (pre17th century) to a parish (18^th century and after), as and when the harsh forest laws were relaxed and people were allowed to move around the Green and graze their cattle.

 But back to the alphabet - Coopersale Lane, which winds down to Theydon Garnon Church. Theydon Garnon, alias Coopersale as the parish was known in years gone by, naturally gave its name to the lane. Coopersale as a separate parish was formed much later in 1852 – the year after our own present Church was built.

 When the village started to expand in the latter part of the 19^th century and after the coming of the railway, the first development was in Woburn Avenue, but why the name ‘Woburn’ when there was such a wealth of forest and indeed other names to choose from? It would be interesting to know. But, putting aside the more modern names (although I am curious as to why Dukes Avenue and Sidney Road were so called), the name with the most historical connection is that of Purlieu, for the purlieu or ancient forest boundary (that is what the name means), has been subject to three ‘perambulations’ so-called and all are well documented. From these we get some idea of what the area was like. The first took place in 1225 when some knights were ordered to ride the forest boundary to determine its extent. Yet another took place in 1301 and in this a much more detailed description is given of their findings with the Church being mentioned and certain names such as Gilbert de Theydon and Roger ate Fryth. It is a fascinating account but too long to give in full. From it however can be ascertained that our ‘Village’ (actually it wasn’t even that), consisted of a few scattered dwellings linked by tracks and bridleways. The third (there might have been more) took place in 1641 and I give this in full:

 “Starting at the ‘Bridge of Stratford called Bow’, then along the King’s Highway through Ilford, and a place called the ‘four Wants’ or four ways where there was lately placed and as yet remains a certain rib of a whale called the whalebone, a little further on towards Romford; then by a devious northerly course through Collier Row along by Havering Park Navestock Parish to the river of Roden. Then down the river to ‘Aybridge otherwise Affbridge or Abridge’ and passing over the bridge aforesaid by the King’s Highway…..

 Last month I commenced an account of the perambulation of the parish, which took place in 1641 – I continue the account with my own comments in brackets:

 “….directly leading to the parish Church of Theydon Boys (This was the old Church pulled down in 1844), and so on forward by the King’s Highway aforesaid to the dwelling house of the Rector of Theydon Boys….. (Without doubt this is what we now know as ‘Parsonage Farm’. It is a very old building indeed, the upper storey overhanging the lower by a foot or more, the only example of this in the parish. There was a dwelling house here for the Rector as far back as 1301)…..unto a Gate called ‘Theydon Green Gate’ (This ‘gate’ was at the Bull Inn and formed the entrance to Theydon Green. The Gate remained for many years being finally removed about 1870. An alternative suggestion was that it stood where the old level-crossing gate superseded it.)……and thence by the hedge called Purlieu Hedge, to the corner of a certain hedge called Piershorne Corner.” (The hedge itself was opposite the Bull and with the ditch can still in parts be traced, being roughly at the ends of the gardens of Morgan Crescent i.e. along the edge of the glebe field and the new and old vicarage properties. The description of the Queen Victoria ‘Beer House’ is ‘a wooden boarded building alleged to be of considerable age, but renovated and kept in good repair’ – a 1910 description. The Purlieu hedge ended somewhere in the region of where Morgan Crescent joins Piercing Hill continuing up the hill to Hawcock Lane, now the Ivy Chimneys road. However where it diverged at the back of the vicarage land, the fields, as they were then, were called the Sawpit field and Purlieu Mead.)

With this issue I come, I fear, to the last of my Local History Notes on the Parish of Theydon Bois. I am grateful to those who have expressed their appreciation of this page but in truth, there is little more to be said. You see some parishes lend themselves very readily to historical research, those for example where there is a mediaeval church, old farms and buildings and/or a famous (or infamous) parsonage. Unfortunately Theydon Bois is bereft of these, having for centuries been little more than a hamlet on the edge of the forest and with a tiny church serving a minute population, that is, when it had a resident cleric which for centuries it seldom had, being served by a succession of monks from St. Bartholomew’s and later, the Abbey of Waltham. After the Reformation it was still not considered of sufficient importance to have a Vicar and so was served by a succession of so-called ‘Perpetual Curates’.

The rise of Theydon Bois came with the expansion of Greater London during the 19^th century – a trend which can readily be discerned by comparing the census figures, for example in 1801, there were 334 residents, but in 1901, 1,257. A similar picture is to be found when comparing entries in the Parish Registers. In 1801 there were 12 baptisms, 1 marriage and 4 burials, whereas in 1901 there were 32 baptisms, 9 marriages and 22 burials.

That a ‘village atmosphere’ pervades Theydon Bois (it really cannot be said to be a village in the true definition of that word, either in size or content), is because of The Green and its surround of Forest and farmland. But, we are what we are and ultimately it’s the village spirit combined with the village atmosphere which is important and Theydon Bois possess both in abundance.