Greensted 1848 Whites directory
GREENSTED is a small scattered village and parish, about one mile W. of Chipping Ongar, from which it is commonly called Greensted near Ongar, to distinguish it from Greensted near Colchester. It has only 159 inhabitants, and 674 acres of land, rising boldly from a tributary stream of the river Roding. At the Domesday survey it belonged to Hamo Dapifer, and it afterwards passed to the Lucy, Robetier, and other families. The Rev. P. Budworth is now lord of the manor, but part of the soil belongs to Mr. William Smith, Mrs. Rayner, and a few smaller owners. The Hall, a large handsome mansion, is now the seat of Wm. Gibson , Esq., and has tasteful pleasure grounds, commanding beautiful prospects.
The Church (St. Andrew,) is supposed to be one of the oldest in England, though the nave is constructed of half trunks of oaks, about a foot and a half in diameter, split and roughly hewn at each end, to let them into a sill at the bottom, and into a plank at the top, where they are fastened with wooden pegs. This primitive part of the fabric is about to be thoroughly repaired, and is 29ft. 9 in. long, 14 ft. wide, and 5t ft. high, on the sides, which supported the original roof. At the west end is a boarded tower, but the chancel is now of brick. Both sides are strengthened by brick but- tresses, and on the south is a wooden porch. The roof is of later date, and tiled, but rises to a point in the centre, as originally formed.
The chancel has a blunt pointed doorway, with mouldings curiously worked in the bricks. Tradition says that the body of St. Edmund rested here in 1011 , when being conveyed to its final resting place at Bury St. Edmund’s. The small chapel or shrine, prepared for the temporary reception of the royal corpse, is said to have been afterwards enlarged, and converted into the parish church. The rectory, valued in K.B. at £6 . 13s. 4d. , and in 1831 at £280, has 28A. of glebe, and a handsome Rectory House, of white brick, built in 1838, at the cost of about £2000. The patronage is vested in trust with the Bishop of London, and the Rev. P. W. Ray, M.A., is the incumbent. The tithes were commuted in 1842. The poor have two yearly rent- charges, viz. , 5s. out of 3A. at Stanford Rivers, left by Robert Petit ; and £2 out of Lee fields, left by Richard Bourne, in 1660.
Gibson William Esq., clerk of the peace, and solicitor, Greensted Hall ( & Ongar)
Piggott William parish clerk
Ray Rev. Philip William , M.A. rector
FARMERS.
Firman William
Freeman John
Kemsley Joseph
Laver Joseph
Loud James Jeken , corn dealer
Smith William