ORSETT, a large and pleasant village, 9 miles S. by W. of Bilericay, 5 miles N. of Tilbury Fort, and 13 miles E.S.E. of Romford, gives name to the large UNION. Its parish comprises 1484 inhabitants, and 4136 acres ofland, including the village of BAKER STREET, about a mile W. of the church ; but exclusive of a detached member called Orsett Hamlet, which has about 40 inhabitants, and is distant 13 miles north of Orsett,
being in Chelmsford Hundred, and comprising a considerable parcel of land between the parishes of Buttsbury, Stock, and Margaretting,
belonging to Lord Petre, and anciently forming Crondon Park, which was divided into farms many years ago. Orsett is supposed to have been called Horse Heath by the Saxons; and about 1 mile N.W. of the village is Orsett Fen, where there is a stinted common of about 200 acres. Before the Conquest, the parish belonged to the See of London ; but at the Norman Survey, part of it belonged to Eustace, Earl of Boulogne. Richard B. W. Baker, Esq. , is lord ofthe manor of Orsett, and resides at Orsett Hall, which has lately been much improved, and the grounds beautified. Near it are the remains of a moat, and in the parish are several other good houses, one of which is Orsett House, a respectable boarding school. The Church (St. Giles and All Saints) is a large and ancient structure, consisting of a nave, with aisles, a chancel, with north and south chapels, and a brick tower, crowned by a wooden spire. It has lately been restored, and has several stained-glass windows, in memory of the Baker family. It had formerly a chantry, founded by Thomas Hotoft. It has several neat monuments ; and in the chapel belonging to Orsett Hall is a handsome one, in memory of John Hatt, Esq., who died in 1658. The rectory, valued in K.B. at £29. 6s. 8d. , and in 1831 at £812, is in the patronage of the Bishop of London, and incumbency of the Rev. James Blomfield, B.D. , who has about 9A. of glebe, and a handsome residence, built in 1843, in the Elizabethan style. The tithes have been commuted for £1225. Here is a Wesleyan, and also a Primitive Methodist Chapel, and the parish has National and Infant Schools, and various Charities for the poor. Orsett Literary Institution has a spacious Reading Room, lately erected by the Baker family.
Orsett Labourers’ Friend Society is liberally supported by the gentry and farmers. In the village is a POLICE STATION, where petty sessions are held.
NATIONAL SCHOOLS for Boys, Girls, and Infants, were built in 1849, at the cost of about £1400, and are attended by about 260 children. With the Boys’ School is amalgamated the old Charity School, founded, in 1776, by Edward Anson, for clothing and educating 14 free scholars- six of Orsett parish, and two each from the parishes of Horndon- on-the-Hill, Bulphan, Mucking, and Chadwell. The endowment yields about £80 a
year, arising from a farm of 23 acres at Thoydon-Garnon, and the dividends of £1650 stock. R. B. W. Baker, Esq., the Rector of Orsett, and others, are the trustees.
PARISH LANDS, &c.-In 1495, Thomas Hotofte gave to the parishioners of Orsett, for their general benefit, about 40 acres of land, now let for £60 a-year, the whole of which has been applied in aid of the poor rates since 1834, previous to which a portion of the rent was distributed in bread, at Christmas and Easter. About 8 acres of land, called Slade’s Hold, was given to the parishioners by an unknown donor, and was let in 1801 for 40 years, at £5 per annum; the lessee giving a bonus of £200, which was laid out towards building the Workhouse, which stands on part of the said land, and has since been appropriated to the use of Orsett Union, at the yearly rent of £20.
HEMMING’S CHARITY.- In 1639, Alice Hemming bequeathed, after the death of certain persons without issue, the following property, in trust, that one-half of the yearly rents should be applied by the churchwardens and overseers of Orsett, as follows :-One-half of the said moiety for distribution among the poor of that parish, and the remainder for the maintenance of a lecture, every Sunday, in the parish church. The other half of the yearly rents she bequeathed to Chaddington parish, Oxfordshire, for the same uses. The property now consists of 254. of land, in this parish , called Mabb’s Land and Pye Corner, let for £31; the Parish House, opposite the church, let for £20 ; and some buildings in Northumberland alley, London, let on lease till 1869, for £20. 10s, per annum.
In 1827, RICHARD BAKER left £100 to the churchwardens of Orsett, to be invested in the funds, for a yearly distribution of bread among the poor not receiving parochial alms, at Christmas. It was laid out in the purchase of £117. 2s. 7d. Three per Cent. Reduced Annuities. In 1721,
JOHN BLATCH charged 8 acres of land, called Swaines, with the yearly distribution of 40 sixpenny loaves, among the poor. Four old decayed cottages, occupied rent-free by paupers, were derived from the bequest of PETER CASTLE, in 1605. A yearly rent-charge of £5, left to the poor by William CORBET, in 1782, out of a house, blacksmith’s shop, &c. , in Baker street, has not been paid since 1818, on the plea that is void by the statute of mortmain. In 1807, ELIZ. DOWSETT left £200 Three per Cent. Reduced Annuities, in trust, to apply one-half of the dividends in schooling two poor girls, and the other half in distributions to the poor. For distribution in bread, JOHN FREEMAN, in 1746, left a yearly rent of £3, out of HeathPlace, to be given inmonthly doles of bread, at the church. For distribution at Christmas and Easter, the poor have a yearly rent of £4. 10s. , left by Ambrose Gilbert, in 1642, out of premises at Dovor court.
For a weekly distribution of ten sixpenny loaves, they have £13. 10s. yearly, left by JASPER KINSMAN, in 1700, out of land called Gifford’s Cross, at Corringham. For bread, at Whitsuntide, they have the dividends of £73. 16s. 3d. Three per Cent. Consols, derived from the bequest of Jesse Newcome, in 1813. For distribution in bread, on May 3rd, they have the dividends of £146. 15s. 9d. Three per Cent. Reduced Annuities, purchased with £100, left by Lady Trafford Southwell, in 1809. For distribution incoals, on Jan. 1st, they have the dividends of £450 Three per Cent. Consols, left by Sarah Bush, in 1825.
ORSETT PARISH. Marked are in Baker Street.
POST OFFICE at Mrs E. Powell’s.
Letters via Romford. Money Orders at Horndon- on-the-Hill.
Archer William, saddler, &c.
Baker Richard Baker Wingfield, Esq. Orsett Hall
Baker Rev. William DeFoe, M.A.curate
Biddell Geo. surveyor, supt. registrar &c.
Blomfield Rev. Jas. B.D. rector and rural dean
*Clark Golden, wheelwright & shopkeeper
CorbetDavid, M.D. surgeon. & registrar
Corbet Rea, surgeon
*Field Miss Eliz. boarding school
Finch John, wheelwright & builder
Finch Mrs Sus. agent to Sun Fire Office
Fisk James, rate collector, &c.
Fletcher Samuel, hair dresser, &c.
Fordham Mr Thomas G.
Hunt Mrs
Harper Jno. carpenter & wheelwright
Howard Charles, carpenter & builder
*Kibble George, beerseller
Larkin George, builder & shopkeeper
Maconachie George, A.M. boarding academy, Orsett House
Mortimer Mrs Eliz. matron, Workhouse.
Newcome Samuel. Esq. White Croft
North Richard, plumber, painter, &c.
Oakley George, blacksmith
Prior Hy. Geo. Workhouse School
Reeve John, bricklayer, &c.
Reeve William, farm bailiff
Rutledge George, police inspector
Sackett Miss
Wordley Mrs
*Sanders Jas. plumber, painter, &c.
Sills Joseph, master of Workhouse
Watson Miss, Workhouse School
INNS AND TAVERNS.
Cock, Daniel Partridge, mason
Crown, William Robert Holley, tailor
George, Charles Aylen
Greyhound, Thomas Bray (&shopkeeper)
King’s Arms, John Hayler
Swan, William Loveday & shopkeeper.
BAKERS, &c.
Sanders Samuel
Wallis John
Woollings Alfred
BOOT AND SHOE MAKERS.
*Carter John
Schooling Robert
BUTCHERS.
Bridge James
Bush James
CORN MILLERS .
James Richard
*Woollings William.
FARMERS.
Ashford Mrs S.
Blyth & Squier
Binder Joshua
*Bright Richard
Buckenham Elrd.
Cook William.
Cobb Eve Mrs Mary
Fordham Thos.
Francis Charles
Greenaway Chas.
Manning W. Stn.
Randall Mrs M.
Sackett William Hy.
Wallis John
Wollings Alfred
Woollings William
Woollings Geo.
Wordley Josiah
Wordley George
GROCERS, &c.
*Clark Golden
Larkin George
Loveday William
Oakley Eliza
Owers Henry
Powell Elizabeth
SCHOOLS.
Harrison Miss
Rowley Charles
Sharples Miss