WRITTLE, a large and well built village, pleasantly situated on the west side of the river Can, 2½ miles W. by S. of Chelmsford, has a spacious Green, ornamented with a sheet of water; and a small one, called St. John’s Green. It has many good houses, and a large brewery ; and had formerly a weekly market. Its parish is the largest, and one of the finest in the county, comprising no less than 8672 acres; of which more than 300 acres are new enclosures in the Highwood and Edney Woods, which extend into Roxwell parish.
Writtle parish increased its population from 1599 in 1801, to 2364 souls in 1861 ; and includes the hamlets or districts of Oxney Green, Edney Green, Highwood, and part of Cook’s Mill Green, from 1to 4 miles W. and S. W. of the village. The four QUARTERS of the parish are styled- Town Quarter, Roman’s Fee, Highwood, and Bedell’s End; and contain many scattered houses, &c. , bearing different names, and some of them fine specimens of old domestic architecture. The Highwood quarter adjoins Blackmore, and is a picturesque woodland district. The arable lands in all parts of the parish produce excellent crops of wheat. The soil is similar to that in Moulsham; and hops have been cultivated here. Writtle is conjectured to have been a Roman station.
Gibson supposes it is the site of Canonium ; and Morant, and some other antiquaries, have placed here the Cæsaromagus of the Itinerary. Others have placed the latter at Dunmow, and the former at Widford, where Roman bricks and tiles have been found. The road from London to Chelmsford, &c. , is said to have passed through Writtle, until Maurice, Bishop of London, erected Moulsham Bridge, about A.D. 1100. Near the village is a square plot of ground, enclosed by a moat, and supposed to have been the site of a palace erected by King John, about the year 1211; but no relics have been discovered to prove that the Romans had a station here. In the time of Edward the Confessor, the extensive lordship of Writtle belonged to Earl Harold, and it was afterwards held by the Conqueror. It has since been held by various noble families, but it often reverted to the Crown, till Queen Mary granted it, and other estates, to Sir William Petre, Kt. , an ancestor of Lord Petre, the present lord of the manor. The parish is mostly freehold, and a great part of the soil belongs to Arthur Pryor, Esq. , J. A. Hardcastle, Esq., and many smaller proprietors. The parish has a charter for two fairs , on Whit-Monday and Oct. 10th, but the latter has long been obsolete, and the former only affords a few stalls of toys, &c.
The Rectory is a manor belonging to New College; and the manors of Morehall and Bowers belong to Wadham College, Oxford. Nine manors have at different times been parcelled out of the noble lordship of Writtle, which, with Roxwell parish, forms a liberty, which has its own coroner, and was anciently one of the royal forests. The ” bayliship of Writtle, and half hundred of Chelmsford,” was anciently held by the service of keeping the king’s forests. There were here two parks,
viz :- Osterly or Horsfrith, which was disparked some centuries ago; and WRITTLE PARK, which is now a farm of more than 400A. , belonging to Lord Petre, and having an old Elizabethan mansion, formerly occupied by his family. In 1603, John Petre, Esq. , was created Baron Petre, of Writtle. Bedeman’s Berg was a hermitage in the midst of the Highwoods, founded by Robert, a monk, in the time of King Stephen. It was afterwards held by the monks of St. John’s, at Colchester, and had about 50A. of land. DR. JOHN BASTWICK was born at Writtle, in 1593, and practised physic at Colchester. He wrote a learned Latin treatise against the flagrant abuses of the Roman Catholic church, but the English prelates thinking themselves aimed at, he was excommunicated, fined £1000, and ordered to be imprisoned till he made a recantation. Instead of recanting, he wrote a book wherein he complained bitterly of the tyranny of the court which persecuted him, and charged the bishops with an inclination towards popery. The parliament, in 1640, reversed the proceedings against him, and ordered him a reparation of £5000, out of the estates of the commissioners and lords who had prosecuted him; but owing to the
estates of the com- missioners and lords who had prosecuted him; but owing to the confusion of the times, he never received it.
Writtle Church (All Saints) is a large and massive building, covered with lead, and consisting of a spacious nave and aisles, and a large chancel, &c. , with a lofty stone tower at the west end, containing eight bells. The tower having fallen down, was rebuilt in 1802, but it is not in keeping with the body of the church, which is mostly in the early English style of the 13th century. The clerestory is of later date, and the roof is in the Tudor style, springing from highly enriched corbels, with carved bosses at the intersections of the beams. In the aisles are two small chapels, supposed to have belonged to some of the four chantries and 12 obits, founded here inpopish times. The nave is neatly fitted up, and has spacious galleries . The chancel was new roofed in 1844, when a handsome new window was inserted, in the perpendicular style, and decorated with the arms of the Rector, and William of Wykeham, in stained glass. In the interior are many handsome mural monuments ; some finely carved benches and pews ; and an ancient Norman font. In 1143, this church was given by King Stephen to the monks of Bermondsey; but it was afterwards given by King John to the hospital of the Holy Ghost, belonging to the English, at Rome.
This hospital held it till 1399, when it was granted by the Crown to William of Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester, who gave it and the rectory as part of the endowment of New College, Oxford, founded by him. The Rectory is a manor, called the manor of Roman’s Fee, from its having belonged to the English hospital at Rome. The rectorial tithes still belong to the Warden and Fellows of New College, and they are patrons of the vicarage, now valued at £600 per annum, in the incumbency of the
Rev. A. D. Stacpoole, M.A., who has a good residence and about 11 acres of glebe. Until 1851, the benefices of Writtle and Roxwell were united.
ST. PAUL’S CHAPEL, in the Highwood quarter, about 24 miles S.W. ofthe church, is a neat chapel-of-ease, erected in 1842, for the accommodation of the inhabitants of that part of this extensive parish. Its situation is also convenient for the out-dwellers of the neighbouring parishes of Fryerning and Blackmore. It is built of red brick, in the early English style, and reflects much credit on the architect, Mr. S. Webb. It has about 400 sittings, all open and free, except 12 pews. The building cost about £1200, raised by subscription, aided by a grant from the Society for building Churches, and a liberal sum given by the Warden and Fellows of New College. The Rev. Thos. Ovens is the minister, and has a neat parsonage house, built in 1847. In the village is an Independent Chapel, built in 1815.
The CHURCH PROPERTY comprised a farm of about 29 acres, called Bumpsteads, but it has lately been exchanged for 40 acres, called Jordans, now let for £40 a year. The former had been vested in trust, for the use of the church, from an early period, and it also comprised an old tenement, which occupied the site of the Boy’s National School. The churchwardens have also a garden, let for 20s. per annum. In 1777, JOHN BLENCOWE left £1200, to be applied for the education of poor children of Writtle and Roxwell. This charity was established by a decree of the Court of Chan- cery, in 1785, when £2733.9s. 9d. Three per Cent. Bank Annuities, were transferred to the trustees, who were directed to apply two- thirds of the yearly dividends for the education of poor children of Writtle, and the remaining third for the same purpose in Roxwell. The decree appoints the Warden of New College, Oxford, visitor of the charity; and directs that the owners of Skreens and Hylands, the vicar of Writtle, and the churchwardens of Writtle and Roxwell, shall be trustees. The yearly sum of £54.13s.4d. is paid as the Writtle portion of this charity, to the master and mistress of the Boys’ and Girls’ National Schools, who teach gratuitously, in respect there of, 32 boys and 22 girls. The other scholars (about 100)
pay 1d. each per week. These schools were established in 1829. The Girls’ school, and the house occupied by the teachers, were built by Mr. Henry Lambirth, in 1818, and given to the parish, in exchange for a tenement called East Hayes, which belonged to the ” Church Property,” as also did the site of the Boys’ school. The school attached to St. Paul’s
Chapel was built in 1852. In the village is a British School, supported by subscription. Hawkins’ Almshouses were founded, in 1500, by Thos. Hawkins, who endowed them with Hook’s Farm (60 Acres), at Margaretting, now let for £55 per annum. The Almshouses consist of six tenements, occupied by six poor aged widows, who have seen better days, and are selected by the vicar and churchwardens. They have each a weekly stipend of 3s. 6d.
In 1605, Edward Hunt left two tenements in Church lane, for the residence of poor people, and for their reparation he left a yearly rent-charge of 20s. , out of a field called Ashfield. The houses are occupied by poor persons placed in them by the parish officers. In 1591, William Horne left ayearly rent-charge of £5.6s. 8d., out of some houses in Bishopsgate street, London, for a weekly distribution of 2s. worth of bread among the poor parishioners. In 1634, Dorothy Davis left a yearly rent of 53s. 4d. out of Boggis Farm, for a weekly distribution of bread among the poor, who have also, for the same purpose, the dividends of £121. Os. 8d. three-per-cent. consols, purchased with £100 left by Lady Falkland, in 1776. They have also a yearly rent of 20s., paid out of Chalk End Farm, under the name of the Poor Monk’s Gift ; and 20s. per annum out of a house on the Green, left by Eleanor Jones, in 1737. The Parish Land, supposed tohave been left by Baron Comyns, for the benefit of the governor of the workhouse, comprises 74., let for £10.
In the following DIRECTORY OF WRITTLE PARISH those marked 2 are at Cook’S MILL GREEN; 3 at EDNEY GREEN ; 4 at OxNEY GREEN ; 5 at Bedell’s End; 6 at Highwood; 7 in Wick street ; and the rest in Writtle Village, or where specified.
POST OFFICE at Mrs. Sach’s. Letters via Chelmsford
Baker Robert & Son, auctioneers,
estate agents, surveyors, &c.
Barlow William Robert and John Nathaniel, surgeons
Brown Robert, clerk
Clarke James, parish clerk, &c.
Dickson Samuel, registrar & surveyor
Fox Mr William, Writtle Park
Hardcastle Joseph Alfred, Esq. M.P. brewer & wine & spirit merchant
Harrington John, agricultural seed grower, Hickerage House
Jones Fras. solicitor; and Mr William Kelly Mrs G. Oxney Green House
Law Rev. Jas. Bogie, (Independent)
Miller John, cooper, &c.
Monk Charles, hair dresser, &c.
6 Ovens Rev. Thos. B.A. incumbent of St. Paul’s, Highwood
Palmer William, brewer’s clerk
Ratcliff Mr, cattle dealer
Sach Mrs Mary, Post Office
Stacpoole Rev. Andw. D. M.A. vicar
Woodhouse Robt. gent. Parson
Farmers
Baker Robert
Blyth Samuel
Carter Stephen, Montpeliers
Challis William, Bush Farm
Copland William, Wick street
Corder Edward, Reeds Farm
Corder Henry S. , Rollestones
2Crush Robert
2 Crush William
4 Dowson Joseph, More Hall
4 Edwards Edw. Rt.
Edwards Rt.
Hales James T. Beadell’s Hall
Harrison Francis, Writtle Park
Jennings John
Johns William T.
Livermore James Isaac
Marriage William & Hy. Beaumont Otes
Mead Frederick Tudor, Wards Farm
6 Nottidge Henry
2 Moss Mrs
Oddy Joseph, Benedict Otes
Parnell James
3 Parnell Mrs
Perry John
Playle John
Reeves Samuel
5 Pratt Mr
6 Roberts Mary
Rolph John Simons Thomas
4 Sorrell Thomas
2 Speakman Henry, Bramwoods
7 Warner Frederick
Wood Joseph jun.
Wilkinson George, Radley green
Woodhouse Robert, Bumpsteads
INNS AND TAVERNS.
Cock and Bell, John Oxbrow
6 Cock, Charles Cannon
2 Fox and Goose, Charles Bright
Green Man, Joseph Lucking
Rose and Crown, Henry Somerville
ACADEMIES.
Bonnington Miss
Bury William & Mrs Law Rev. J. B.
Middleditch Lsa.
Miller Jane
BAKERS, &C.
Brewster William
Byford George
Griggs Alfred
Webster Mrs
Beerhouses
Griggs John
Horsnell Ann
Skingley William
6 Stone William
4 Tyrell John
4 Wallis George
BLACKSMITHS .
6 Blanks Charles
Chapman Richard
Harris George
Sewell William
Wood Joseph
BUTCHERS.
Simons Thomas
Wenden Joseph
4 White Rachel
CARPENTERS.
Dixon Samuel
Lowe Robert
Monk Charles
Poole James
CORN MILLER.
2 Fitch William
GROCERS, &c.
Brewster William
Brown Charles
3 Fitch Samuel
Lowe John
Porter Charles
4 Rumsey James
PAINTERS, PLUMBERS, &c.
Somerville Henry
Summerfield Joseph
SADDLERS, &c.
Ardley Thomas
Gigney Zorbl.
SHOEMAKERS.
Brown William
Collis Henry
4 Perry William
Saltwell Mr
TAILORS.
Collicutt William
Hunt Thomas
Lambirth C.
WHEELWRIGHTS.
Brazier John
Quare Alfred
Wood Joseph
RAILWAY And CARRIERS.-
See Chelmsford