History of Chelmsford and its suburbs, Moulsham and Springfield in the 1863 Whites directory
CHELMSFORD, the county town, is pleasantly situated near the centre of Essex, at the confluence of the rivers Chelmer and Can, the former of which is navigable for small craft from its junction with the Blackwater, at Maldon, about ten miles to the east. It gives name to a large Hundred and Union, and Polling and County Court Districts; and is the chief place of election for the parliamentary representatives of the Southern Division of Essex. It is the handsomest, and one of the busiest, though not the largest market town in Essex; and in it are held the assizes and other general courts, &c. , of the county, for which its central situation, with good roads diverging in all directions, is well adapted. It has a station on the Eastern Counties Railway, and is on the high road from the metropolis to Colchester, Braintree, Suffolk, and Norfolk.
It is distant 29 miles N.E. of London, 21 miles S.W. of Colchester, 12 miles S. by W. of Braintree, and 27 miles S.S.E. of Saffron Walden. The town and suburbs are in three divisions, connected by good bridges, viz :-Chelmsford, betwixt and at the confluence of the rivers Chelmer and Can ; Moulsham hamlet, on the south side of the latter ; and Springfield parish, on the north side of the Chelmer.
Chelmsford parish, with its hamlet of Moulsham, had 8407, and Springfield parish, 2566 inhabitants in 1861, making the total population of the town and suburbs 10,973 souls ; though in 1801 it only amounted to 4644; in 1821, to 6444 ; and in 1831, to 7286 souls.
Of the 8407 souls in Chelmsford parish, 3976 were in Moulsham hamlet. The number of acres of land in CHELMSFORD PARISH, which includes the suburban hamlet of Moulsham, is 2841, of which 6544. 1R. 15P. is tithe free ; 1724A. 2R. 14P. subject to a rent-charge of £494. 18s. , in lieu of tithes; 322A. 2R. 31P. paying only £5. 2s. yearly, in moduses ; 16A. 19P. glebe; and 122A. 1R. 30p. site of town, roads, and wastes.
SPRINGFIELD PARISH contains 2878 acres, of which 1894 are arable, 808 in pasturage, 33 wastes, and 140 sites of houses, gardens, pleasure grounds, roads, &c. The tithes of Springfield were commuted in 1842 for £750 per annum, and the glebe is 554.
The Town has been greatly improved during the last 25 years ; and Tindal square and High street (where the market is held), as well as the other principal streets, are well paved and lighted. The houses are generally modern, and many of them have gardens behind them extending to the rivers. There are in the town many large inns and taverns and well-stocked shops, and some of the latter have handsome plate glass windows. The Eastern Counties Railway (now called the Great Eastern) was opened in 1843, and crosses the western part of the town and suburbs by a viaduct of 18 brick arches, each 30 feet in span, and 45 feet in height, to the top of the parapet. The Station is approached by a double staircase from the arch which crosses Duke street. Until 1839, the town was closely encompassed by entailed land belonging to the Mildmay family ; but in that year the entail was cut off, and about 400A. of land, adapted for building ground, was sold, for about £80,000, in lots to suit purchasers. A new road, about a mile long, now called the New London road, was set out through the property in MOULSHAM hamlet; and it has since been continued into the centre of the town by a company of shareholders, who erected a handsome cast-iron Bridge over the river Can, and formed New Bridge street, at the cost of more than £5000 – the old Theatre and a number ofhouses, &c. , having to be purchased and removed, and about 10,000 square yards of earth to be carted for the formation of this grand entrance to the town. In 1841, another company erected, in the NewLondon road, at the cost of £2500, an elegant buildingin the Grecianstyle, called The Institute; and since then many rows of neat houses have been erected in the town and suburbs, as well as several handsome public buildings. A little below the iron bridge the river Can is crossed by a substantial stone bridge, which was built in 1787, on the site of the old one, erected about A.D. 1100. The Shire Hall is at the head of High street ; but the large County Gaol, the County Police Depôt, and the wharfs, are on the opposite side of the Chelmer, in SPRINGFIELD, which is a handsome eastern suburb, with many good houses, and is connected with Chelmsford by two bridges, crossing two branches of the river which insulate the small island of Mesopotamia. One of these bridges (nearest High street) is a neat iron structure. The town is approached on all sides by a gentle descent, but the principal streets are nearly on a level. The surrounding country affords a pleasing diversity of scenery, and is very abundant in agricultural produce the soil being generally a deep rich loam, intermixed with veins of gravel.
Acts for Paving and Improving the Town of Chelmsford were passed in the 59th of George III. and the 3rd of George IV.; but the Commissioners surrendered their powers a few years ago to the LOCAL BOARD OF HEALTH, established under the Public Health Act of 1848, and the Local Government Act of 1858, for the District of Chelmsford. This Board has already expended about £18,000 in draining the town, improving the waterworks, and inserting fire-plugs in the water pipes, &c.; exclusive of paving, lighting, and cleansing the streets, for which separate rates are levied. The BOARD meets on the last Friday of every month, and consists of 18 members. Andrew Meggy, Esq. , is their clerk ; Fdk. Chancellor, Esq. , surveyor; and Mr. Edwin Earthy, inspector and collector.
The History of Chelmsford has received but little attention from the historians of the county, though the town, being in the direct road from London to Colchester, must have participated more or less in the momentous events recorded in the history of the latter town, during the times of the ancient Britons, and the invasions of the Romans, Saxons, Danes, and Normans, as well as in the troubles of the civil wars between Charles I. and his Parliament.
Camden, without any authority but the name of the river Can, and the distance of the town from his erroneously supposed site of Camulodunum at Maldon, places here the Roman station Canonium, while other antiquaries consider it to have been at Writtle, on the small river Can, about 24 miles W. of Chelmsford. Mr. Gough, in his additions to Camden’s Britannia, says every circumstance is against assigning such antiquity to Chelmsford, as there was not even a direct road through it till the reign of Henry I., when Maurice, Bishop of London, built the first bridge over the Can, and thus brought the great road from London to Colchester direct through this town, instead of passing round by Writtle, as it anciently did.
Chelmsford evidently derives its name from an ancient ford over the river Chelmer, and in Domesday Book it is variously called Chelmersfort and Chelmersforda. It was part of the possession of the Bishops of London from the reign of Edward the Confessor to that of Henry VIII. In the 1st of King John, William de Sancta Maria, Bishop of London, procured for it a charter for a weekly market ; and in the following year he obtained the royal licence for an annualfair. Edward I., in the 13th year of his reign, issued a quo warranto against Bishop Gravesend, to show what claim he had to view frankpledge, gallows, tumbrel, pillory, free warren, and assize of bread, in Chelmsford and other manors; but these privileges were confirmed to him five years afterwards, by the same monarch. In 1395, Richard II. granted Bishop Braybroke the return of writs here. In some old writings, Chelmsford is called a borough ; and in the eleventh of Edward III. it sent four members to a Council or Parliament held at Westminster.
Gray, in his notes on Hudibras, states that this town was once incorporated, and successively governed by a tinker, a tailor, and a cobbler; but this sarcasm was, no doubt, made in reference to the ancient custom of the MESOPOTAMIA ELECTION, which accompanies the election of members for the County, and in which ridiculous pageant a mayor is seen. This mock election is after the style of that which long prevailed at Garrett, in Surrey, and was no doubt invented in early times to amuse the mob while the real election was in progress, though it is now held a day or two after the latter. It takes place on the small island of Mesopotamia, behind the Duke’s Head Inn.
Chelmsford was the shire town long before the reign of Henry VII. , when it is named as such in a statute, for the custody of weights and measures. The town and manor were granted by Bishop Bonner to Henry VIII. , in 1545. Queen Elizabeth, in 1563, granted them to Thomas Mildmay, Esq., whose family has held the manor and most of the land since that period. From a manuscript dated 1591, it appears that the old manor house was burnt down in the time of Edward III. , and that the manor had ” fair demesne lands, woods and wastes, and also a great service, and more than 200 tenants that held their lands, tenements, and hereditaments, by reasonable rents, customs, and services ; of which number above 30 were noblemen, knights, esquires, and gentlem entlemen. ” Sir Hy. B. P. St. John Mildmay, Bart. , of Dogmersfield, in Hampshirere., is lord of the manor of Chelmsford, or Bishop’s Hall, and Moulsham or Mousham Hall, and owns a great part of the parish.
Bekeswell or Beeksfield, is an estate and reported manor, belonging to T C Swinbourn Esq, Moulsham Hall was built by Thomas Mildmay, Esq. , about 1564, soon after he had obtained grants of this and neighbouring manors from Queen Elizabeth.
It was rebuilt in a magnificent manner, about 1730, by Benjamin Mildmay, Earl Fitz-Walter, the third and last of the family who held that earldom, as descendants of Frances Fitzwalter, who married Sir Thos. Mildmay about 1630. The hall is described as having been a splendid mansion, with a fine collection of pictures, but was taken down about forty-six years ago. Guy Harlings, near the church yard, is one of the best houses in Chelmsford, and was new fronted by its late owner, Dr. Badeley. It was built by Sir John Comyns, on the site of an ancient mansion which was erected soon after the Conquest, by the Norman knight, Guy de Harling, and was afterwards a seat of the Wiseman family. In a survey dated 1591, the manor of Moulsham is described as being held of the Crown in chief, and having more than 200 tenants, holding by free deed, and copy of courtroll; and as containing about 1300 acres of enclosed lands, and about 500 acres of GALLEYWOOD COMMON, which lies south of Moulsham, and is mostly in the parishes of Great Baddow, Stock, and Margaretting. Part of this common has been long enclosed.
A portion of it, about two miles S. of the town, forms Chelmsford Race Course, and commands extensive views of the surrounding country. There is an oval course of nearly two miles, and a straight course of one mile. The RACES are held annually, in June.
SPRINGFIELD, the northern suburb of Chelmsford, rises gradually from the banks of the Chelmer, and has many good houses, 2566 inhabitants, and 2878 acres of land. It had its name from its numerous springs ; and, before the Conquest, most of it was held by a Saxon named Alestan, and the remainder by Goderic. At the Domesday Survey it was called Springafeld, and was held mostly by Ralph Peverel, and partly by Robert Gernon. By them it was divided into three manors, viz.:-Springfield Hall with Dukes, Springfield Barnes, and Kewton or Cuton Hall. Part of the parish is in the neighbouring manor of New Hall. The Rev. Arthur Pearson, M.A., the patron and incumbent of the rectory, is lord of the manor of Springfield Hall with Dukes; Sir H. B. P. St. John Mildmay owns the estate and manor of Springfield Barnes ; and Cuton Hall and New Hall manors belong to the Parker family.
The Peacock, Proctor, Tyrell, Seabrook, and other families have estates in the parish.
Near the river, in Moulsham, stood a BLACK or DOMINICAN PRIORY, the foundation of which Camden and some other writers attributed to Malcolm, King of Scotland; but this is evidently a mistake, as all the royal Malcolms were extinct long before the Dominicans obtained footing in England. At the Dissolution, this Priory was valued at £9. 6s. 5d. , and granted to Anthony Bonvixi, but it soon afterwards passed to the Mildmays. Its site is still called the FRIARS, and the house which stood upon it was taken down some years ago. In the early part ofthe 14th century, Thomas Langford, who compiled an Universal Chronicle from the Creation to his own Times, besides other curious works, was a friar in this convent. In a field called Long Stumps, between Moulsham Hall and Galleywood Common, there was anciently a Chapel, founded by the monks of St. Osyth, and endowed with part of the great tithes.
After the suppression it was held by the Gernons, from whom it passed to the Mildmays. As noticed with Colchester, many persons in this county suffered martyrdom, in the reign of Queen Mary, for not adhering to the Roman Catholic religion. Among many similar evidences of the moral and mental degradation of the people of England, so late as the 17th century, are the examinations of a number of poor women taken before Sir Harbottle Grimston, Sir Thomas Bowes, and other magistrates of Essex, in 1645, under the superstitious delusion that they were witches. For the supposed crime of witchcraft and demonology the following were executed at Chelmsford in the same year, viz. :-Eliz. Clarke and Eliz. Gooding, of Manningtree ; Anne Leache, of Mistley; Sarah Hating and Eliz. Harvey, of Ramsey; Joyce Boanes, Susan Cock, Margaret Landish, and Rebecca Jones, of St. Osyth; and Ann Cate, of Much Holland. In the same year, Helen Clark, Anne West, Anne Cooper, and Marian Hocket, were executed at Manningtree; and one of the witnesses against Anne West was the aforesaid Sir Thomas Bowes, Knight. !!!
In the early part of the late war with France (about 1796), two extensive ranges of BARRACKS, with accommodations for upwards of 4000 troops, were erected here the largest near the west end of the town, and the other near the London road; but they were taken down about 40 years ago. At a short distance west of the latter begins a line of Embankments, thrown up for defending the approach to the metropolis, in the early part of the present century, when Napoleon threatened to invade this country. Where the windmill stands was a large Star Battery, mounted with 48-pounders, and commanding the roads to London, Colchester, Billericay, and Maldon. There were sometimes as many as eight thousand soldiers here, quartered in the barracks, the town, and the surrounding villages. The large building in Springfield now occupied as the Police Office and the residence of the Chief Constable of the county, was erected as a magazine for military stores. On the site of the Old County Gaol, at Moulsham, was built, in 1859, the ARMOURY AND DEPOT of the West Essex Militia Regiment, which numbers about 900 men, and has its staff and periodical training musters at Chelmsford. The Chelmsford, or 4th Essex Corps of Volunteer Rifles, form a well-trained body of men, under the command of Majors Bringhurst and Tufnell.
The CHELMER AND BLACKWATER NAVIGATION COMPANY, in 1765, obtained an Act of Parliament for making the river Chelmer navigable from Chelmsford to Maldon, where it falls into the Blackwater; but the undertaking was not commenced till 1793, when they obtained a new act. The navigation was opened in 1797, and commences at the basin and wharves in Springfield. In conformity with the original plan, the river was made navigable for barges of 30 tons by making locks, cutting off the extreme points and acute angles of the river, and regulating the channel to the width of 20 feet at the bottom, and 30 at the top. The locks are 17 feet long, and 16 feet 1 inch wide at the gates. The first lock and cut extend the navigation to the great bend below Moulsham mill ; and six other short cuts and numerous locks occur between this and a cut of more than two miles, which carries the navigation through a larger lock into the estuary of the Blackwater below Maldon, and about 11 miles E. of Chelmsford in a direct line, but more than 15 miles by the circuitous windings of the navigation, which cost more than £50,000, though the original estimatewas only £20,000. The river Chelmer rises near Thaxted, about 20 miles N. by W. of Chelmsford, but is navigable only to this town, where it receives the Cam, which is formed by many tributary streams from the south and west, and flows eastward in a sluggish winding course through the low grounds skirting Chelmsford and Moulsham.
Chelmsford MARKET is held every Friday, and is well supplied with corn, cattle, poultry, vegetables, &c. A small space under the Shire Hall was formerly used as a Corn Exchange; but in 1856-7, a handsome new CORN EXCHANGE was built, in Tindal square, from designs by Mr. Frederick Chancellor. It was built by a company with a capital of £10,000, raised in £10 shares, under the Limited Liability Act. The front is richly ornamented in the Italian style, and has three arched entrances, over which is a handsome Public Room. The three archways lead to the Corn Exchange, which is 100 feet long and 46 broad, and has long ranges of small offices and accommodation for 100 stands. The roof is supported by massive cast-iron girders, forming a pointed arch, and it is mostly covered with glass. At one end is a gallery, used at public entertainments.
Two annual FAIRS, for cattle, &c. , are held on May 12th and Nov. 12th; and here is also a large fat cattle show, about the middle of December, and a large wool fair, in the latter part of June. Annual RACES are held on Galleywood Common. In the two parishes are several corn mills, breweries, malt kilns, nurseries, two ironfoundries, &c.; and much business is done at the wharfs in coal, timber, &c. Messrs. Coleman and Sons have obtained many prizes for their agricultural implements.
WATER WORKS. In 1771, Sir Wm. Mildmay, Bart. , left £200 to the rector and churchwardens of Chelmsford, in trust, to apply the yearly proceeds towards repairing and cleansing the pipes for conveying water from the Burgess Well to the Conduit in the Market place, and in such other works as might be necessary for supplying the town with clear and wholesome water. This legacy was vested in £227. 5s. 5d. Old South Sea Annuities, and the dividends are expended in repairing the Well and Conduits. The former is near the entrance to the town from Writtle, and yields an ever flowing supply of pure water, equal to 1½ hogsheads and 4 gallons per minute, or 2262 hogsheads and 54 gallons per day.
The old CONDUIT, opposite the Shire Hall, in Conduit or Tindal square, was rebuilt in 1814, but was removed a few years ago to High street. Its old site in the square, is now occupied by a handsome new conduit, which forms the pedestal of a sitting bronze statue of the late CHIEF-USTICE TINDAL, who was some years at Chelmsford Grammar School ; and in whose honour the name of the square has been changed to Tindal square. The Water Works have been greatly extended by the Board of Health. The GAS WORKS, in Springfield, were erected in 1819, at the cost of about £7000, including the expense of the street pipes, which were laid with the permission of the Paving Commissioners, the Company having no act of Parliament. The works are in £50 and £25 shares, and are under the management of Mr. Jabez Church.
The SHIRE HALL is a spacious and elegant building, in Tindal square, fronting the head of High street, where the market is held. It was erected at the expense of the county, from designs by J. Johnson, the architect, who having completed it to the satisfaction of the magistrates, and at an expense less than the original estimate, was presented with a silver cup, in 1792. The front is of white stone, with a rusticated basement, and ornamented with four three-quarter columns, of the Ionic order, supporting a pediment, below which are three emblematical bas-reliefs, representing Justice, Wisdom, and Mercy. In the basement are commodious apartments for the courts of assize, quarter sessions, &c.
Above is a very elegant Assembly Room, extending the whole length of the building, and furnished with a music gallery, eight handsome chandeliers of cut glass, and sculptured marble chimney- pieces. This lofty apartment is 85 feet long, and 45 broad. The stuccoed ceiling is handsomely ornamented; and in niches on either side of the fire-places are elegant female statues, in the Grecian costume. County Balls, and other social and public meetings, areheld in this room; and when prisoners are in excess, the Queen’s serjeants hold courts in it. Behind it is a jury room, and various other necessary apartments. The ground plan of the building occupies a square of 96 by 80 feet. Petty Sessions are held here every Friday, by the magistrates of the neighbourhood, to whom Robert Bartlett, Esq., is clerk. Assizes are held here in Spring and Summer, by the Judges of the Home Circuit; and Quarter Sessions for Essex on the Tuesdays of the usual session weeks . W. C. Metcalfe, Esq. , of Epping, is clerk ofindictments ; and Henry Gibson, Esq. , of Chipping Ongar, is clerk of the peace.
The COUNTY COURT is held monthly at the Shire Hall for CHELMSFORD DISTRICT, which comprises Great and Little Baddow, Berners-Boothing, Boreham, Broomfield, Buttsbury, Chelmsford, Chignal St. James and Smealy, Danbury, Fryerning, Good Easter; East, South, and West Hanningfield; Ingatestone, Margaretting, Mashbury, Pleshey, Rettendon, Roxwell, Runwell, Sandon, Shellow-Bowells, Springfield, Stock, Terling, Great and Little Waltham, Willingale-Doe, Willingale-Spain, Widford, and Writtle. William Gurdon, Esq. , is judge ; Thos. Gripper, Esq. , treasurer ; Thos. M. Gepp, Esq. , registrar ; Mr. Chas. Godfrey, high bailiff ; and Mr. Thos. Smee, bailiff.
The COUNTY GAOL, at Springfield, stands in an airy and pleasant situation, about three quarters of a mile from Chelmsford, on about nine acres of land, half of which is enclosed by the boundary wall. This great receptacle for the criminals of the county underwent extensive alterations and improvements about 15 years ago. The erection of the old buildings was commenced in 1822, and finished in 1828, at the cost of about £57,000. Being on the radiating plan, with the governor’s house in the centre, and having the necessary treadwheels and other sources of labour, the prison was then considered perfect ; but experience having shown that the system of classification to which it was adapted was defective, the magistrates resolved to introduce the separate system, and to enlarge and alter the prison in accordance with the model which that at Pentonville supplies. These improvements were completed early in 1848, at the cost of about £36,000. The exterior appearance of the front, which is 420 feet long, has undergone little alteration. The entrance lodge, in the centre, is of Bramley Fall stone, in the Egyptian style, and over it the drop is erected at executions. The boundary wall is of brick, 20 feet high, with stone columns 20 feet apart, in the front. On passing through the entrance gateway, the governor’s house is seen on the right hand, commanding a view of all persons entering or leaving the gaol. The old central radius of the prison has been pulled down, two others have been extended, and parallel radii erected, and also a large central hall, with a chapel above and a kitchen beneath it. The new part comprises also two extensive corridors, radiating from the central hall, and containing 219 cells, arranged in three tiers oneach side ; the two upper ranges being approached by galleries, running round the corridors and the central hall.
Each cell is fitted up with a water tap, water closet, a hammock and bedding, a supply of books, and the means of admitting warm or cold air, and of communicating with the officers, when the prisoner wishes to see the doctor, governor, or chaplain. These, and other ingenious contrivances, are well worth the inspection of the visitor. One ofthe old radii of the gaol, containing 42 cells for females, has been altered and adapted to the separate system. Another portion of the old prison is appropriated to the confinement of debtors, who have free access to a commodious airing yard, day room, &c. The prisoners subjected to the separate discipline, are allowed an hour’s exercise in the morning and afternoon, in the small airing yards, of which there are 12 for the men, and 12 for the women; each of the two groups radiating from a semicircular lodge, from which the officers can see into every yard, through small bull’s-eye windows, without being observed by the prisoners. The machinery for conveying the rations from the kitchen to the cells, is like that at Pentonville, where upwards of 500 prisoners have been served with hot dinners in 12 minutes ! The chapel is so fitted up that the prisoners cannot see each other. In its original state, the gaol had 225 cells, and beds for 272 prisoners ; but it has now accommodations for more than 400. The Old County Gaol, which stood near the river, in Moulsham, was rebuilt in 1777, and the Old House of Correction, which stood behind it, was built in 1806, in lieu of the original one, which stood in High street, opposite Springfield lane. They were used for the confinement of debtors, and female convicts, till the completion of the new buildings, at Springfield, in 1848, when they were sold for about £4300. Their site is now occupied by the Militia Armoury. Springfield Prison is now the County Gaol and House of Correction, and also receives prisoners from the separate jurisdictions of Colchester, Saffron-Walden, Harwich, Brightlingsea, and Maldon. Capt. Hy. M’Gorrery is the governor ;
Mr. C. H. Nicholas, deputy-governor ; Mrs. Lee, matron ; and the Rev. G. B. Hamilton, chaplain.
The HEAD COUNTY POLICE OFFICE, and the residence of Rear Admiral McHardy, the chief constable, form a large and commodious building in Springfield, which was formerly a military depôt, as already noticed.
ESSEX CONSTABULARY FORCE was established in 1840, and now comprises one chief constable, 10 superintendents, 13 inspectors , nine sergeants, and 211 constables. The Boroughs of Colchester and Maldon have each a separate Police Force ; and the south-west angle of Essex, being near London, and comprising Stratford, West Ham, and all the rest of Becontree Hundred, forms Ilford Division of the Metropolitan Police District. The Boroughs of Harwich and Saffron Walden are included in the Essex Police District, which is divided into the ten Police Divisions of Colchester, Chelmsford, Brentwood, Dengie, Dunmow, Epping, Hinckford, Rochford, Saffron Walden, and Witham. The Station Houses in these Divisions are all of the best description, and in many of them the Volunteer Riflemen have stores for their arms. The total cost of the 245 members of the Essex County Police is about £17,000 per annum. The chief constable has a yearly salary of £450, besides £160 for travelling expenses. The yearly salaries of the superintendents vary from £100 to £130, and those of the inspectors from £65 to £85. The police sergeants
have 23s. , and the constables from 17s. to 21s. perweek. Mr. James May is superintendent of Chelmsford Police Division.
CHURCHES, &c.–Besides the two parish churches of Chelmsford and Springfield, each parish has a neat modern district church. They are in the Archdeaconry of Essex.
CHELMSFORD CHURCH, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, stands in the highest part of the town, near the Shire Hall. It is a handsome and spacious structure, which has undergone many repairs since it was rebuilt by ” certain pious subscriptions” in 1424. The greater part of the body, being much decayed, suddenly fell down on the 12th January, 1800, and was rebuilt by the parishioners, who at the same time beautified and repaired the other parts of the fabric.
This renovation, for which an Act of Parliament was obtained, was commenced in June, 1800, and finished in September, 1803. In this church the Archdeacon of Essex holds his courts. It is in the perpendicular style, and consists of a nave with aisles ; a spacious chancel, with a chapel on each side ; a large and elegant south porch ; and a lofty and handsome tower at the west end, containing a’good peal of eight bells. The internal length of the nave and chancel is 120 feet, and the breadth 54. The massive tower is of flint and stone, with battlements and pinnacles- a lantern and slender leaded shaft rising from the tower as an apology for a spire.
The great porch is a very handsome specimen of perpendicular architecture, with ornamental buttresses, battlements, and pinnacles; and above its entrance arch is a triple canopied niche. The chamber over it is the register office of the Archdeaconry, and is approached by an unsightly brick staircase. In the modern walls the ancient style of the buildinghas been preserved, and the interior is elegantly finished. In the gallery at the west end is a fine organ, erected by Crang and Hancock in 1772, but since improved by Russell. The east end has recently been restored under the direction of Mr. F. Chancellor, and the large east window filled with painted glass, in memory of the late Lady Mildmay. Other windows have also been decorated with painted glass. The south chapel is separated from the chancel by three Tudor or four-centred arches, and the north chapel by a pointed and a circular arch-the latter of which is divided by a clustered pillar in the centre, with mullions on either side, in the perpendicular style. There were formerly four guilds or chantries in this church, and at the dissolution their annual incomes were as follow :–St. John’s, £1. 13s. 4d.; Corpus Christi, £8. 15s. 6d.; Our Lady’s, £3.13s. 8d.; and Mountneys, £11. 10s. 8d.
Here were also endowments for 18 obits. In a room over the vestry is a valuable library, given by the Rev. John Knightsbridge, D.D.,
a native of Chelmsford, and rector of Spofforth, in Yorkshire, for the use of the clergy in the town and neighbourhood. On the north side of the chancel are two stately monuments over the family vault of the Mildmay family. One of the tombs is of grey marble, richly ornamented, and inscribed to the memory of Benjamin, Earl Fitzwalter, and Frederica, his Countess, daughter of the gallant Duke of Schomberg. There are many neat tombs in the churchyard, which is spacious, and formerly had near it an ancient chapel, dedicated to St. Margaret.
The RECTORY, valued in K.B. at £31.2s. 4d., and in 1831 at £588, has a good residence, 16A. 19P. of glebe, and about £505 per annum, in rent-charges and small moduses, in lieu of tithes. Sir Henry B. P. St. John- Mildmay, Bart. , is thepatron, and the Ven. Carew A. St. John- Mildmay, M.A., archdeacon of Essex, has been the incumbent since 1826. The Revs. A. Dalton and H. Fawcett are the curates ; Mr. John Barnes, organist ; Rd. Stannard, clerk; and John Saunders, sexton. On the death of his widow, in 1861, £1000, left by the late Henry Guy, Esq. , was invested for the better support of divine service in Chelmsford parish church.
ST. JOHN’S CHURCH, in Moulsham, is a handsome district church for that populous hamlet of Chelmsford parish. It was erected in 1837, at the cost of about £2500 ; but having only 547 sittings, it was considerably enlarged, in 1851-2, by the erection of transepts, a chancel, and north and south aisles, so that it has now about 950 sittings, mostly free. It is in a chaste style of ecclesiastical architecture, and contains a handsome mural tablet in memory of the late Henry Guy, Esq. , who expended large sums in the enlargement of this church and in beautifying the east window with stained glass.
He died in 1859, and bequeathed £2000 to be invested for the establishment of Sunday evening service, and £1000 for the better support of the incumbent, who has also the yearly proceeds of the original endowment, consisting of more than £2000, raised by subscription and a grant from Queen Anne’s Bounty. St. John’s Parsonage House is a commodious dwelling near the church, commanding a good view of Danbury. In 1861, three substantial School Rooms were erected adjoining the churchyard, and affording ample accommodation for lectures, &c. They cost about £1400, raised by subscription and grants. The land for the churchyard and building sites was given by the late Lady Mildmay. The benefice is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of the Rector of Chelmsford, and incumbency ofthe Rev. Alfred William Mason, M.A. His curates are the Revs. W. B. Johnson and G. Mallory.
SPRINGFIELD PARISH CHURCH is situated on the north side of that populous and handsome suburb of Chelmsford, and is dedicated to All Saints. It is an ancient structure, of considerable length, consisting of a tiled nave and chancel, a south porch, and a massive brick tower at the west end. The latter contains five bells, and has a wooden turret or lantern rising above its battlements. The chancel is in the early decorated style, and the nave in the perpendicular style. There are some remains of the ancient rood-loft, and a piscina has lately been discovered.The old Norman font is carved on its four sides, but now stands on a modern pedestal, and near it is an ancient sedilia. The east window is decorated with painted glass, of modern date, representing the Crucifixion, &c. The interior of the nave and chancel was much improved and beautified in 1624, when 16 new pews were added. The RECTORY, valued in K.B. at £22. 11s. 6d. , and now at £1016, was formerly in two medieties, with two incumbents, patrons, and parsonage houses, but they were consolidated in 1753, by the Bishop of London, at the request of Sir John Tyrell, who was then patron of both. The patronage is annexed to the manor of Springfield Dukes, and the Rev. Arthur Pearson, M.A., is the present patron and incumbent, and has a commodious Rectory House, near the church. His curates are the Revs. F. J. Manning and J. G. Bingley. Mr. James Timson is the clerk. The glebe is 55 acres; and the tithes were commuted in 1842, for a yearly rent-charge of £750.
TRINITY CHAPEL, at Springfield Hill, is a small neat fabric, which was built in 1842-3, to supply that lack of church room which had long been felt in the now populous parish of Springfield.
It consists of a nave, small chancel, western porch, and bell turret; and is constructed of white brick, in the semi-Norman style, from a design by Mr. Repton. The nave is neatly fitted up with open benches, and has about 400 sittings, nearly all free. The font is covered with a lofty canopy, in the perpendicular style; and here is a handsome altar screen, in eight compartments. The north window of the chancel has been enriched with beautiful stained glass, inserted by subscription, in memory of Emily Fanny Gace, aged 22 years, who was drowned in the river, in attempting to save the life of Mary McHardy (aged 11) , on the 2nd of May, 1844. The Lord’s Supper, the Crucifixion, the Resurrection, and the Ascension, are beautifully painted; and below the window is a brass tablet, recording the melancholy occurrence, and stating that Queen Adelaide, and many ofthe Nobility, Clergy, and Gentry of Essex, subscribed towards this memorial of the self-devotion of Miss Gace, in her fatal attempt to save the life of the daughter of Capt. , now Admiral McHardy, the chief constable of the county. Some of the other windows are decorated with stained glass. The church was built by subscription, at the cost of more than £2000, on land given by Sir H. and Lady Mildmay. In the gable under the bell turret, is a triangular ornament, representing the Holy Trinity. Dr. Manning, one of the Rector of Springfield’s curates, is the officiating minister.
The School of the Holy Trinity, in Springfield, is a collegiate looking building, which was established in 1857, for the sons of clergy- men and professional men; and is conducted by Dr. Manning and assistant masters. Near Trinity Chapel is an Infant School, in the Elizabethan style, erected in 1844, at the cost of £245.
The ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH, in New London road, is a handsome building in the early English style, dedicated to St. Mary. It was erected in 1847, at the cost of about £2500. It has no clerestory, and is lighted by lancet windows, filled with beautiful stained glass.
All the windows have trefoil heads, and that at the east end has three, and that at the west end two lights. The stained glass was thegift of Thomas Dunn, Esq. , and other contributors, and gives a rich solemn tone to the interior, which is elegantly fitted up, and has a chequered floor of red and black tiles, and ahighly enriched altar screen, in seven compartments. The Rev. Charles P. King is the priest.
The DISSENTING CHAPELS in Chelmsford are as follow:-
The INDEPENDENT CHAPEL, in New London road, was erected in 1840, at the cost of about £5000, in lieu of one in Baddow road. It was enlarged and beautified in 1862, at the cost of about £1300. It has now more than 2000 sittings, and its front is decorated with Doric and Ionic columns. The Rev. Geo. Wilkinson is the minister.
The Independent Chapel, in Baddow road, has about 800 sittings, and was erected in 1859, on the site of the ” Old Meeting House”, which was founded more than 300 years ago, rebuilt during the last century, and enlarged in 1845. The Rev. Theodore Hook is its minister. There are small Independent Chapels in Townfield and Wood street. The Baptist Chapel, in New London road, is under the ministry of the Rev. A. Smith, and was built in 1847, by a congregation formed in 1802. The Wesleyans have a chapel in Springfield, built in 1843 ; and the Primitive Methodists erected a small one in Hall street, in 1862. The Irvingites have a small chapel in Moulsham, and there is a Friends’ Meeting House in Duke street.
Chelmsford CHURCH BURIAL GROUND, recently formed in Rectory lane, comprises about 1½ acre of land, and has a handsome chapel in the transition style, erected at the expense of the Rector of Chelmsford and C. Glyn, Esq. , in memory of Mrs. Glyn, wife of the latter and daughter of the former. The CEMETERY, in NewLondon road, occupies two acres, and was formed in 1846, for the interment of Dissenters , at the cost of about £1000, raised by subscription. It is vested with 17 trustees, and has a handsome lodge entrance. Mr. John Hasler is the clerk.
Bible, Tract, Missionary, and other Religious Societies are liberally supported here, both by members of the Established Church and Dissenters. The town has its full share of literary institutions , public schools, provident institutions , and endowed charities .
CHELMSFORD PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY was established in 1828, and comprises many of the literary and scientific gentlemen of the town and neighbourhood. It has a valuable Library and Museum in New Bridge street, and the latter was enriched, in 1847, with some fine Roman vases, found near Billericay, and several other specimens of Roman pottery, found near this town. The Rev. C. A. Arnold is the secretary. For the purpose of affording accommodation for public meetings, lectures, &c. , a handsome building, called The Institute, was erected in 1841, by a company, in New London road; but it now belongs to John Copland, Esq. Most of the rooms in this edifice are occupied by the LITERARY AND MECHANICS’ INSTITUTION, which was established in 1843, and now has a library of about 2800 volumes, and about 740 members. The lecture hall will accommodate 500, and the reading room is well supplied with daily and weekly newspapers, magazines, reviews, &c. Lord Chelmsford is the president, and Mr. Thomas Cheveley, assistant secretary and librarian. Four Newspapers are published here, as named in the subjoined Directory. Essex Church Schoolmasters’ Association , established about 20 years ago, is supportedby many of the clergy of the county, and holds meetings for lectures, discussions, &c. , at various places.
Chelmsford and Essex Horticultural Society was established in 1824, and has about 160 members. Mr. W. W. Duffield is the secretary.
Chelmsford and Dengie Hundreds SAVINGS’ BANK was established in 1817, and in Nov., 1861, it had deposits amounting to £101,044, belonging to 3630 depositors, 134 Charitable Societies , and 13 Friendly Societies. Mr. G. H. Durrant is the actuary.
ESSEX PROVIDENT SOCIETY was established in 1818, and has 19 District Branches in different parts of the county. It has a stock of more than £63,000, and about 8000 members, of whom about 350 are honorary, and the others subscribe monthly payments for mutual relief in cases of sickness, superannuation, and death. Its head offices, in Duke street, form a neat building, recently erected in the Italian style. Mr. Julius Mark is the clerk.
CHELMSFORD PROVIDENT SOCIETY, established in 1844, has about 1300 members, and Mr. Geo. Choat is its clerk. Among other provident institutions in the town are several Benefit, Building, and Investment Societies, a Mutual Fund Association, and the FREEMASONS’ LODGE of Good Fellowship (No. 343), held at the White Hart Hotel, on the Thursday before every full moon.
Chelmsford FREE GRAMMAR SCHOOL, in Duke street, was founded in 1551, by a charter, or letters patent, of Edward VI., who incorporated four persons by the name of ” Governors of the possessions, &c. , of the Free Grammar School of King Edward VI. , in the parish of Chelmsford; ” to be succeeded by their next male heirs, or in default of such heirs, by other substantial persons elected by the survivors. The royal founder endowed the school with the possessions of the dissolved chantry, called Hill’s Chantry, in Great Baddow; and with other lands and tenements which had belonged to Ulting Guild, at Hatfield Peverel, and to Stone House Chantry, at East Tilbury ; to be holden of the said King and his successors, as of the manor of Chelmsford, by fealty only, in free socage ; but subject to the yearly payment of 17s. 10d. , at the Court of Augmentations ; and of £2. Os. 8d. to the poor of Great Baddow. The charter grants to the Governors power to acquire other lands, &c. , and to make statutes and ordinances for the government of the master, usher, and scholars. The school property yields an annual income of about £500, and comprises seven houses, cottages, &c . , at Great Baddow, let for £65. 10s.; 29A. 16P. of land, called Barryes, at Hatfield Peverel and Ulting; a farm of 173A. 34P. , called Plumborough Marsh, at Southminster; about 87 acres at West Tilbury; and two sums in the Old and New South Sea Annuities, amounting to £1805. 5s. 5d. , purchased with savings of income. But alarge portion of the rents of the school lands is absorbed by repairs, tithes, and incidental expenses. The School has room for 80 boys, and adjoining it is a playground of two acres, and also a large house, garden, and field, occupied, free of rent, rates, and taxes, by the master, who has a yearly salary of £100, and also five-eighths of the capitation fees, pursuant to the new scheme settled by the Governors, in 1855, after the death of the Rev. James Hutchinson, the late master, who, being old and infirm, had but few scholars for several years. The second master has a yearly salary of £60, and three-eighths of the capitation fees. The foundation scholars are limited to forty boys, above eight years of age, and residents of Chelmsford, or of any of the parishes within the distance of six miles, in a direct line. Twenty of them are free scholars ; and the other twenty pay £6 each per annum. Boys not on the foundation, pay £10 each per annum. For these payments they are taught divinity, Latin, Greek, English, geography, mathematics, arithmetic, writing, &c.; but French, German, and drawing, are paid for as extras, both by the free scholars and others. There are now upwards of sixty scholars. Pursuant to the charter, the Bishop of Rochester is now visitor of the school. The Ven. Archdeacon St.John-Midmay, and T. W. Bramston, Arthur Pryor, and John Joliffe Tufnell, jun. , Esqrs. , are the governors. When vacancies occur by deaths or two years absence, the surviving governors appoint others. For the encouragement of the pupils, Exhibitions are now being raised by subscription. If Maldon fails to claim Dr. Plume’s Exhibition of £6 per annum, at Christ’s College, Cambridge, a boy from this school may claim it. The Rev. C. W. Arnold, M.A., is the head master; the Rev. C. P. Marriott, second master; and Mr. E. Adams, English master. The latter has published several very useful school books.
That eminent lawyer, the late Rt. Hon. Sir N. C. Tindal, chief-justice of the Court of Common Pleas, was some time at the Grammar School here, as also was Philemon Holland, M.D. The latter was born here in 1551, and became head master of the Royal Free School at Coventry, where he also practised as a physician. He translated Livy, Pliny’s Natural History, Plutarch’s Morals, Camden’s Brittania, and many other works, into English. The rapidity with which his translations followed each other obtained for him the title of ” Translator General. ” He died in 1636, and is said to have written a whole folio volume with one pen.
A bronze statue of Chief Justice Tindal was erected afew years ago, opposite the Shirehall.
Chelmsford CHARITY SCHOOL, near the Churchyard, was rebuilt in 1861. It was established in 1713, and is supported chiefly by subscription, for 30 boys and 20 girls, who are taught reading, writing, arithmetic, &c.; clothed once a year ; supplied with books, &c.; and when of proper age, as many of the boys are put out apprentice as the dividends of £873. 7s. 4d. three-per-cent. consols, purchased with £500 left for that purpose by Mrs. Ann Johnson, in 1775, will extend to. In 1720, Mrs. Ann Breda gave £100 towards purchasing the School-house, and the following sums, left for its endowment, have been invested in the public funds, viz.: £200 by J. A. Wallinger, in 1767 ; £200 each by Henry Gilbert, John Clarke, and Hy. Guy, in 1791, 1802, and 1859 ; and £100 each by Henry Lambirth, Timothy Holmsted, and Thos. Chalk. A subscriber of one guinea annually becomes a trustee, and has the privilege, in rotation, of nominating a scholar. Adjoining the school are a good house and garden for the master. Chelmsford Parochial National Schools now occupy ahandsome building called the Victoria Schools, at the top of New street, erected in 1841, at the cost of about £1100. It is of red and white brick, in the Tudor style, and comprises dwellings for the teachers, and three school- rooms for boys, girls, and infants. Each room will accommodate about 100 papils. There are also National and Infant Schools in Moulsham and Springfield; and in Friars street are large British Schools, erected in 1840, at the cost of £1200, raised by subscription, and a Government grant of £300 For teaching reading, writing, and arithmetic, to 30 poor children of Chelmsford and the neighbourhood, a master in Springfield receives £35 a year from the trustees of Dr. Williams’ Charities. Springfield National Schools, attached to the mother Church of that parish, were built by subscription, in 1814, on land given by the Earl of Arran ; but two wings were afterwards added at the expense of the late Richard Coates, Esq. In the same parish is a school attached to Trinity Church.
Chelmsford DISPENSARY, was established in 1818, for supplying the poor with medical and surgical aid. It is supported by subscriptions, and attended gratuitously by the physicians and surgeons of the town. The Benevolent Society, for visiting and relieving the poor under affliction, was established in 1819 ; and the Lying in Charity, in 1799. Among the other benevolent institutions, supported here by voluntary contributions, are, an Auxiliary Charity, for supplying linen for infants ; a Dorcas Charity, for clothing poor women ; and a Blanket Society, for supplying poor families with blankets, sheets, and counterpanes.
CHARITABLE BEQUESTS for Chelmsford Parish :- In 1565 , Thomas Mildmay left a yearly rent-charge of £13. 6s. 8d. , out of the rectorial tithes of Terling, to be applied as follows : £2 to the usher of the Free Grammar School; £5. 6s. 8d. to be distributed in beef and herrings among the poor of Moulsham and Chelmsford; and £6 for equal distribution among the six poor people in the Almshouses at Moulsham, which he gave for their residence, and which were rebuilt in 1758. This trust is vested with the owner of the manor of Moulsham, which the donor charged with the pay ment of six loads of wood for the almspeople. An annuity of £3. Os. 2d. for the poor, is received under the name of Queen Elizabeth’s Gift, out of the revenues of dissolved chantries, now held by the Crown. It is distributed in bread, together with £10, the rent of two almshouses in New street, given by Joan Gaynford and Andrew Wilkes, in 1631, and rebuilt in 1727, with £235 derived from the gifts of Baron Comyns, and others. The sum of £210, given by Alice Carent and Sarah Nash, for the poor, was laid out in 1701, in the purchase of Tunman’s meadow, 544., now let for about £30, which is distributed by the churchwardens in bread. In 1746, Elizabeth Harris left to the successive rectors of Chelmsford, two fields at Brentwood and Navestock, subject to the yearly payment of £5 for the relief of the poor debtors in Chelmsford Gaol. For a quarterly distribution of bread, the poor widows attending the church have the dividends of £166. 13s. 4d. Three per Consols, purchased with £100 left by Matthew Joyce, in 1778.
Springfield Parish Almshouses consist of four tenements on the Green, and two others on the Little Waltham road. They have been long vested in trust, for the use of the poor parishioners, who have also ayearly rent charge of £6. 13s. 4d., left by anunknown donor, in the 16th century, out of land called Perry-Fields, for distribution in coals. The Church and Poor Lands of Springfield have been vested in trust from anearly period, and comprise 12A. 2R. 21P. , let for about £35 a year, most of which is applied in the service of the church.
MR. AND MRS. GUY’S CHARITIES.-Henry Guy, Esq. , of Hamlet House, Moulsham, who died in 1859, left the following munificient bequests, for charitable and public uses, after the death of his widow, who died in 1861, viz :-£3000 to be invested for the benefit of St. John’s Church, Moulsham; £1000 for St. Mary’s Church, Chelmsford ; £800 to be invested, and the yearly income to be distributed in coals among the poor of Chelmsford and Moulsham ; £200 to Chelmsford Charity Schools ; £200 to St. John’s Schools, Moulsham ; £1000 to Essex Church and Chapel Building Society; £300 to Essex Clergy Charity ; £200 to Essex and Colchester Hospital ; and about £2800 to various public charities elsewhere. By will, the late Mrs. Guy left £8000 to be invested in the names of the rector of Chelmsford and incumbent of St. John’s, Moulsham, and four other trustees ; and the yearly income to be applied for the benefit of eight respectable females, either widows or spinsters, of the age of 50 years orupwards; who, by some reverse of fortune, have become reduced in circumstances, and are members of the Church of England, and have resided in Chelmsford 10 years, or are the widows, or children of some old inhabitant.
The CLERGY CHARITY, for the relief of Poor Clergymen and their Widows and Children, in the County of Essex, and in the Deanery of Braughing, and Archdeaconry of St. Alban’s, in Hertfordshire, was incorporated by charter, in 1747. It has now a stock of about £16,800 in government securities, the dividends of which, with donations and annual subscriptions (about £600), swell its yearly income to upwards of £1200. It has about 40 pensioners, to whom it allows stipends, which amount, collectively, to about £900 per annum. About £14,000 of its capital stock was left for the general purpose of the charity, and about £2100 to be applied towards the support of poor clergymen’s sons, at either of the Universities. In the list of benefactors to this excellent charity are many sums of £100 and upwards ; and among the largest legacies are £750 left by John Popplewell, Esq., in 1829 ; £400 each, by Miss and Mrs. Reeves, in 1831; £500 by Mrs. Gouge, in 1755; £1000 by the Rev. Mr. Hall, in 1796; £800 by the Rev. Mr. Cuthbert, in 1799 ; £1500 by the Rev. J. Bur- gess, in 1830 ; £700 by Mrs. Mary Squire, in 1840 ; £500 by the Rev. W. Marr, in 1846 ; £1500 by Miss Sarah J. Freeman, of Colchester, in 1855 ; and £300 left by the late Mr. Guy, of Chelmsford, in 1859. Divisional Courts for making grants, &c., are held yearly at Brentwood, Colchester, Saffron-Walden, Dunmow, St. Alban’s, and Ware ; and a General Court of Audit is held at Chelmsford, in October. The Bishop of Rochester is the patron, or president of this excellent charity; and the Ven. Archdeacon Burney, of Wickham-Bishop’s, , is the general treasurer. Mr. S. W. Maryon, of Chelmsford, is the secretary.