HISTORY OF CHELMSFORD, WITH MOULSHAM AND SPRINGFIELD , WHICH FORM PART OF THE TOWN.
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 the large Hundred, Deanery, and Union, just noticed ; 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 is in three divisions, connected by good bridges, viz :-Chelmsford, betwixt and at the confluence of the rivers Chelmer and Can ; Moulsham, on the south side of the latter; and Springfield, on the north side of the Chelmer. Chelmsford parish, with its hamlet of Moulsham, had 6,789, and Springfield parish, 2,256 inhabitants in 1841, making the total population of the town and suburbs 9,045 souls ; though in 1801 it only amounted to 4,644 ; in 1821 , to 6,444 ; and in 1831, to 7,286 souls. Chelmsford has now upwards of 4,000, Moulsham more than 3,000, and Springfield above 2,500, inhabitants. In 1841, Chelmsford and Moulsham had 1,291 houses, and Springfield 450. Of these 1,741 houses, no fewer than 71 were building when the census was taken, and 29 were then unoccupied.
The number of acres of land in CHELMSFORD PARISH, which includes the handsome suburban hamlet of Moulsham, is 2,841 , of which, 654A. 18. 15P. is tithe free ; 1,724A. 2R.
14p. subject to a rent charge of £494. 18s., in lieu of tithes ; 3224. 2R. 31P. paying only £5. 2s. yearly, in moduses ; 164. 19p. glebe ; and 122A. IR. 30p. site of town, roads, and wastes.
SPRINGFIELD PARISH contains 2,878 acres, of which, 1,894 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 gross yearly rentals, as assessed to the poor and county rates, are-Chelmsford and Moulsham, £28,515. 10s.; and Springfield, £12,382. Their annual value, as assessed to the Property Tax in 1843,
The Town has been greatly improved during the last ten years ;
and Conduit square and High street, (where the market is held,) as well as the other principal streets, are well paved and lighted with gas. 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 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 conveniently placed between the two lines of rails, and 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 £5,000 ; the old Theatre, and a number of houses, &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 New road, at the cost of £2,500 , an elegant building in the Grecian style, called The Institute ; since sold to Messsrs. J. and E. Copland, but still partly occupied by the Literary and Mechanics’ Institution. Since that period, the lower part of the road has been lined with well-built shops and private houses ; and in New Bridge street an elegant row of houses, called Museum Terrace, has been erected by Mr. G. Meggy, in the Roman style, with Corinthian pilasters. New chapels for the Roman Catholics, Independents, and Baptists, and several highly ornamental mansions, have recently been erected in other parts of the road ; and many of them, as well as the new bridge, are honourable testimonials of the architectural skill of Mr. Fenton.
The Half Moon public house still obstructs the entrance to High street, but it is hoped it will soon be removed. A little below the new one, another Bridge crosses the river Can, and connects High street and Moulsham street. This is a substantial stone bridge of one broad and handsome arch, built in 1787, on the site of the original bridge, which was erected by Maurice, Bishop of London, about the year 1100, and consisted of three small arches. The Shire Hall is at the head of High street, but the large County Goal, the County Police Depôt, and the wharfs,
but the large County Goal, the County Police Depôt, and the wharfs, are on the opposite side of the Chelmer, in SPRINGFIELD, which is a handsome suburb, with many good houses, and is connected with the town by two bridges , crossing two branches of the river, which insulate the small island called 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 the streets , and otherwise improving the town, were passed in the 59th of George III. and 3rd of George IV.; and The Mr. S. W. Maryon is clerk to the commissioners. History of Chelmsford has received but little attention from the historians and topographers 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 the Parliament.
Camden, without any authority, but the name ofthe 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 2½ 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 license for an annual fair. 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 always 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 recurrence of every new parliament, upon the small island of Mesopotamia, behind the Duke’s Head Inn , “where every accommodation is provided for the candidates and their friends,” and “the committee sit daily in the immediate vicinity of the hustings. ” While the poll is open, the candidates parade the streets on horse back, each attended by a page ; and at the close, the members elected for this ” peculiar jurisdiction” are chaired through the town, on men’s shoulders ; and afterwards ducked in the river The honor of submersion is also conferred on the unsuccessful candidates ; and the important business of the day is concluded by breaking the chairs. The mock election of 1830, afforded an unusual display of wit and oratory ; and the Mesopotamia candidates were not less the objects of popular applause than the more learned gentlemen of whom theyChelmsford were typical 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 Thos. 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 thon 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 gentlemen.” Chelmsford parish comprises the manors of Bishop’s Hall, Moulsham Hall, and most of Bekeswell or Becksfield. The two latter were held by the abbot and convent of Westminster, but were granted with Chelmsford or Bishop’s Hall manor, by Henry VIII., to the Mildmay family. Lady Mildmay, mother of the late Sir Henry Carew St. John Mildmay, Bart. , of Dogmersfield, Hampshire, is lady of these 2c2 manors, and owner of a great part of the soil , being the representative of the elder branch of the Mildmays, of whom there were nine several families, possessing large estates in this county in the reign of James I. , and tracing their ancestry to the time of King Stephen. The manorial mansion of Bishop’s Hall, has been long occupied as a farm house, and stands on the banks of the Chelmer, half a mile north of the town. 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 ofFrances Fitzwalter,
who married Sir Thos. Mildmay about 1630. The hall is described as havingbeen a splendid mansion, with a fine collection of pictures, but was taken down more than thirty years ago. Part of the stabling remains, and is used as a dwelling, and a portion of the garden wall forms one of the boundaries of a nursery. Guy Harlings, near the church yard, is one of the best houses in Chelmsford, having been new fronted by its present owner and occupant, 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 the hall are many ancient carvings, which undoubtedly belonged to the original mansion. The grounds are tastefully laid out, and encompass a fine sheet of water. 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 court roll ; and as containing about 1,300 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. Aportion 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, on or about the second Tuesday and Wednesday in August, and are well attended, rarely wanting either genteel company, or plenty of good horses.
SPRINGFIELD, the northern suburb of Chelmsford, rises gradually from the banks of the Chelmer, and has many good houses, 2,256 inhabitants, and 2,878 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 Peverell, 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. A. Pearson, M.A., the patron and incumbent of the rectory, is now lord of the manor of Springfield Hall with Dukes ; but a great part of the parish belongs to Sir W. B. Proctor, Sir J. T. Tyrell, Lady Mildmay, T. H. Peacock, Esq. , the heirs of the late C. G. Parker, Esq. , of Springfield Place, John Seabrook, Esq. , and several smaller owners. Part of the parish is freehold, and the rest copyhold. Dr. Goldsmith, the celebrated author of the Deserted Village, &c. , resided here some time. The old manor houses are now occupied by farmers, and have been modernised.
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 a few years ago. In the early part of the 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 Thos. 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 Anne 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 Thos. Bowes, Kt. !!!
In the early part of the late war with France, (about 1796,) two extensive ranges of BARRACKS, with accommodations for upwards of 4,000 troops, were erected here ; the largest near the west end of the town, and the other near the London road, on the site of the Union Workhouse ; but both of them have been taken down more than twenty years. 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. Many of the old inhabitants look with regret to the period when Chelmsford ceased to be a military station ; and some of them consider that the Railway, has injured their trade by driving travellers and traffic over the town, instead of their coming as formerly, through the principal streets , by coaches, stage waggons, vans, &c. Affording a more direct and expeditious communication with London, the railway has, no doubt, reduced the profits of the CHELMER AND BLACKWATER NAVIGATION COMPANY, who, 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 wharfs 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 of20 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 estimate was only £20,000.
R. Bartlett, Esq. , is clerk to the company, and Mr. T. Bartlam superintendent of the navigation. 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 Can, 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. On January 17th, 1841 , here was a great flood , and the water rose to the top of the arch of the new bridge, and to the window sills of an old house called the Friars here, now taken down.
The MARKET held every Fridayown, in Conduit square and High street, is an extensive mart for corn, cattle, poultry, vegetables, &c. The London poulterers attend, and often as many as 1,000 to 1,500 fowls are sold. There is no covered market place, except the space under the Shire Hall, which is used as a corn exchange. Mr. S. W. Maryon is inspector of corn returns ; and Cphr. Smith, town crier. Two annual FAIRS, for cattle, &c. , are held on May 12th and Nov. 12th ; and here is likewise 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 wind and water corn mills, and there is a large steam mill in the Townfields. Here are also several breweries, malt kilns, an iron foundry, and some large nurseries and market gardens ; and much business is done at the wharfs, in coal, timber, &c.
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 the Conduit. The former is near the entrance to the town from Writtle, and yields an ever flowing supply of pure water, equal to 1½ hogshead and 44 gallons per minute, or 2,262 hogsheads and 54 gallons per day. The CONDUIT is a handsome structure, crowned by a dome and gas lamp, and erected on the site of the old one in 1814, at the cost of £100, left by Rt. Greenwood, Esq. , and an additional sum contributed by the inhabitants. It is not known at what time the original conduit was erected, but it was improved by the noble family of Fitzwalter, and has since been frequently repaired and altered. On three of its sides are spouts, from which the water is perpetually flowing, and some of it is now conveyed to six tanks in other parts of the town.
These tanks have been made since June 26th, 1847, when five shops and some cottages, &c. , were burnt by an accidental fire, which might have been extinguished with less loss, had there been a more ready and efficient supply of water. A fine natural spring bubbles out of the ground near the Friends’ Meeting house ; and there are private wells and pumps in all parts of the town. The water not being of a good quality where the stratum called London clay lies near the surface, a purer kind, strongly impregnated with alkali, is obtained by boring to the depth of 250 to 300 feet. These artificial springs sometimes rise several feet above the surface. Water obtained in this way supplies Mr. W. Baker’s Public Baths, in High street. There are also baths at the Black Boy Hotel.
The GAS WORKS, in Springfield , were erected in 1819, at the cost of about £7,000, 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, which now sell for nearly double those amounts, though the gas consumers are only charged at the rate of 6s. 4d. per 1,000 cubic feet. Mr. Wm. Howard is the clerk, and Mr. Jabez Church, manager. The town has been much improved of late years, and the streets are now well paved and lighted.
The SHIRE HALL is a spacious and elegant building, in Conduit 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 bass-reliefs, representing Justice, Wisdom, and Mercy. The tympanum is a fine situation for an illuminated clock, which would be of great use to the inhabitants.
In the basement is an open space for the corn exchange, and commodious apartments for the courts of assize, 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, are held 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 Tuesday and Friday, by the magistrates ofthe neighbourhood, to whom Rt. Bartlett, Esq. is clerk. Assizes are held here in Spring and Summer, by the Judges of the Home Circuit ; and Quarter Sessions on the Tuesdays of the usual session weeks. R. Bartlett, Esq. , is clerk of indictments ; and Mr. S. W. Maryon, crier of the courts. Wm. Gibson, Esq. , of Chipping Ongar, is clerk of the peace. Lists of the magistrates and public officers of the county, are inserted at preceding pages.
The COUNTY COURT is held monthly at the Shire Hall. Wm. Gurdon, Esq. , is thejudge ; and Richard Almack, Esq. , of Melford, Suffolk, is the chief clerk. T. M. Gepp, Esq. , is assistant clerk ; and Mr. John Felton, assistant bailiff, for CHELMSFORD DISTRICT, which comprises Great and Little Baddow, Boreham, Broomfield, Gt. and Little Braxted, Buttsbury, Chelmsford, Chignal St. James and Smealy, Great and Little Coggeshall, Danbury, Fairstead, Faulkenbourne, Feering, Fryerning, Good Easter, East, South, and West Hanningfield ; Hatfield, Ingatestone, Kelvedon, Great and Little Leighs, Markshall, Margaretting, Mashbury, Messing, Pleshey, Rettenden, Rivenhall, Roxwell, Runwell, Sandon, Springfield, Stock, Terling, Ulting, Great and Little Waltham, Wickham, Widford, Witham, Woodham Ferrers, and Writtle.
THE COUNTY GAOL, at Springfield, stands in an airy and pleasant situation, about three quarters of a mile from Chelmsford, on about 9 acres of land , half of which is enclosed by the boundary wall . This great receptacle for the criminals of the county, has recently undergone such extensive alterations and improvements, that it may now be considered a model prison for other counties, and it is hoped that, under the new system, it will henceforth be a salutary school of sound and lasting reformation. 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 tread wheels 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 payment of which, (out of the county rates,) is to be spread over a period of 30 years. 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 is the drop, or place of execution. 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 new 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 239 cells , arranged in three tiers on each 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 ofbooks, 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 of the 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 semi-circular lodge, from which the officers can see into every yard, through small bull’s- eye windows, without being observed by the prisoners. There are three machines for hard labour in separate cells, and each can be regulated to suit the strength of the prisoner, and has a dial to shew the quantity of work done in different periods of time. These machines are for the idle and refractory, and most of the other prisoners are provided with work in their respective cells. A steam engine and a crank-machine, pump water out of two artesian wells, at the rate of 7,000 gallons per day, into the tanks in various parts of the buildings, for supplying the cells , water closets, baths, &c. 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 ; except the debtors, for whom there is a row of open benches in front.
It has room for 400 hearers, and the pulpit commands a view of every seat. 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 stands near the river, in Moulsham, was rebuilt in 1777, and the Old House of Correction , which stands behind it, was built in 1806, in lieu of the original one, which stood in High street, opposite Springfield lane. They were lately used for the confinement of debtors, and female convicts; but have been disused since the completion of the new buildings at Springfield Gaol, and will shortly be sold and taken down. Mr. T. C. Neale, is governor of the gaol ; and the Rev. G. B. Hamilton, M.A., chaplain. An extensive LUNATIC ASYLUM, for the county of Essex and boroughs of Colchester and Maldon, is about to be erected in the neighbourhood of Chelmsford.
The head COUNTY POLICE OFFICE , and the residence of Capt. Mc Hardy, the chief constable, occupy a large building in Springfield, which was formerly a military depôt, as already noticed. The rural police, or county constabulary force, was introduced into Essex in 1840, and now comprises 15 superintendents, 20 inspectors, and 156 constables , in the 14 divisions of the county. There are lock -ups in each division, and for prisoners taken in Chelmsford, the police have the use of the prison under the Shire Hall. Messrs W. Oakley and J. May, are superintendents of the Chelmsford Division, and the latter is also inspector of weights and mea- sures . The Excise Office is at the White Hart Inn, Moulsham, and this part of the County is in the Colchester collection. T. M. Gepp, Esq. is Sub- Distributor of Stamps, and Mr. W. Chadwick, Surveyor of Taxes for the town and neighbourhood. Thos. Chalk, Esq. is commissioner for taking Special Bail ; and Messrs. R. Bartlett, T. M. Gepp, J. Copland and E. S. Chalk, Esqrs. , are perpetual commissioners under the Fines and Recoveries’ Act.
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, of which James Parker, Esq. , is deputy registrar. A. C. Veley, Esq. , of Braintree, is registrar of the court for proving wills, and Mr. S. W. Maryon, is the clerk. The Rev. C. A. St. John Mildmay, and the Rev. Jas. Hutchinson, are surrogates.
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 com- menced in June 1800, and finished in September 1803, under the superintendence of Mr. Johnson, the architect of the Shire Hall. 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 agood peal of ten bells, two of which were added about 18 years ago. 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 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 byan unsightly brick staircase. In the modern walls, the ancient style of the building has 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 window is enriched with modern painted glass, which occupies the place of an ancient master piece of art, which was destroyed by the puritans of the 17th century, because it contained pictures of the Crucifixion, the Virgin Mary, the Ascen- sion , &c. 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 church vard, which is spacious, and formerly had near it an ancient chapel, dedicated to St. Margaret. The RECTORY, valued in K.B. at £31 .
2s. 4 d. , 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. Lady Mildmay is patroness, and her son, the Rev. C. A. St. John Mildmay, M.A. , is the incumbent. The Revs. W. Greenslade and J. Hutchinson are the curates ; Mr. W. Howard, clerk ; Mr. Coombe, organist ; and John Saunders, sexton.
ST. JOHN’S CHURCH, in Moulsham, is a handsome district church, for that populous hamlet of Chelmsford parish. It is in the early English style, from a design by Mr. S. Webb, and was built in 1841 , at the cost of £2,500, under the auspices of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, who have endowed it with £1,900, to which £1,000 will shortly be added by subscription, and then all the 569 sittings will be free, at present only 310 are free. An Infant School is attached ; and at the west end of the church is a turret, containing two bells. The land was given by Lady Mildmay. The benefice is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of the rector of Chelmsford, and in- cumbency of the Rev. C. R. Muston. Mr. T. Wiffen is clerk ; and J. Barker, sexton. [2 ofthe 10 bells have been sent here.]
SPRINGFIELD PARISH CHURCH is pleasantly 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 per- pendicular style. There are some remains of the ancient rood-loft, and the piscina has recently 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 beauti- fied in 1624, when 16 new pews were added. The RECTORY, valued in K.B. at £22. 11s. 6d., and in 1831 at £777, 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. A. Pearson, M.A. , is the present patron and incumbent, and has a commodious Rectory House, near the church. Jas. Timson, jun. , is clerk ; and RichardRolfe, sexton. The glebe is 55 acres ; and the tithes were commuted in 1842, for a yearly rent charge of £750.
TRINITY CHURCH, at Springfield hill, is a small neat chapel of ease, which was built in 1843, 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 Norman style, from a design by Mr. Repton. The nave is neatly fitted up with open benches, and has room for 500 hearers. 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 Mc Hardy, (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 of the 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. McHardy, the chief constable of the county. The church was built by subscription, at the cost of more than £2,000, on land given by Lady Mildmay. In the gable under the bell turret, is a triangular ornament, representing the Holy Trinity. Rev. Hy. Tindal is the incumbent, and the Rector of Springfield, patron. Near the church is an Infant School, in the Elizabethan style, erected in 1844, at the cost of £245.
The CEMETERY, in New London road, occupies two acres, and was formed in 1846, at the cost of about £1,000, by a company of shareholders, (dissenters,) who expend the profits in improving the ground. It is vested with 17 trustees ; and each shareholder has a grave free. It has a handsome lodge entrance, and is tastefully laid out and planted. Poor dissenters are allowed free burial , except the sexton’s charge. Mr. John Hasler is the clerk . 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 £2,500. 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 the gift of Thos. 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 a highly en- riched altar screen, in seven compartments. The Rev. Chas. P. King is the priest .
The DISSENTING CHAPELS in Chelmsford, are as follows :-
The INDEPENDENT CHAPEL, in New London road, was erected in 1840, at the cost of about £5,000, in lieu of one of the old chapels in Baddow road, now used as a wool warehouse. The front is very handsome, presenting a recessed double colonade, the lower tier hav- ing Doric, and the upper, Ionic columns. The interior is neatly fitted up for about 2,000 hearers ; and behind the pulpit is a small organ. The Rev. Robt. Bowman is the minister ; and under the chapel is a Sunday school. The Independent Chapel in Baddow road, commonly called the ” Old Meeting House,” was founded about 300 years ago, and rebuilt in the last century ; but it has now a handsome modern appearance, being enlarged and altered to the early English style in 1845. It has a Sunday school, and about 600 sittings, and is now under the ministry of the Rev. Joseph Gray. The Irvingites have a small chapel in Moulsham, opened in 1836. The WESLEYAN CHAPEL, in Springfield, is a small but neat white brick structure, erected in 1843, at the cost of £1,000, in lieu of a smaller chapel built in 1813, and now used as a school. The BAPTIST CHAPEL, in New London road, is in the early English style, andwas erected in 1847, at the cost of £620, by the congregation, which was formed in 1802, and built Ebenezer chapel, in Duke street. The Rev. J. Tydeman is the minister. The FRIENDS’ MEETING HOUSE, in Duke street, is a plain substantial building, 81 feet by 45, and has a moveable partition, so as to adapt it for the use of a large or small congregation. It has a library, in which are the works of George Fox, the founder, and other writers belonging to this respectable sect of christians, ofwhom there are many in this town and neighbourhood.
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 ; and the wealthier inhabitants are distinguished for a true spirit of benevolence, which induces them to contribute largely towards the relief of the poor.
CHELMSFORD PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY, was establishod in 1828, and comprises many of the literary and scientific gentlemen of the town and neighbourhood. The members meet every alternate Tuesday evening, for the discussion of literary and scientific subjects ;
and lectures are occasionally delivered. Its library and philosophical apparatus are now of considerable value, and its museum, which had been many years accumulating, was re-opened in 1843, as the “Chelmsford and Essex Museum,” in New Bridge street, and now contains a highly interesting collection of specimens of Natural History, Antiquities, Works of Art, &c. It was enriched in 1847,
with some fine Roman vases, found near Billericay, and several other specimens of Roman pottery, found near this town. The annual subscription to both institutions is one guinea, and to the museum only, half-a-guinea. Non-subscribers are admitted to view the museum for 6d each. It is open every Tuesday and Friday, from May to October, between the hours of 11 and 5 o’clock. T. W. Bramston, Esq. is patron ; John Disney, Esq. president ; Mr. T. C. Neale, secretary; and Mr. G. Meggy, treasurer.
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 Bridge street, but it now belongs to Messrs. Copland, as already noticed at pages 303 and 304. 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 700 volumes, and nearly 400 members. The lecturehall will accommodate 500, and the reading room is well supplied with daily and weekly newspapers, magazines, reviews, &c.
There is an essay and discussion class, a conversational class, and classes for studying languages, drawing, &c. Each member pays 2s. onhis admission, and 2s. per quarter afterwards ; and ladies are admitted to the lectures, and the use of the library, on payment of 2s. 6d. each, half yearly. The Bishop of Rochester is president ; T. W. Bramston, J. A. Hardcastle, T. Greenwood, and W. M. Tufnell, Esqrs. , vice-presidents ; F. J. Law, Esq. , treasurer ; Mr. W. W. Duffield, honorary secretary ; and Mr. J. Davis, librarian.
Two weekly NEWSPAPERS are published here by Messrs. Meggy and Chalk, viz : the Chelmsford Chronicle, established about a century ago, and issued every Friday ; and the Essex Herald, commenced in 1803, and published every Tuesday morning. They profess no party politics.
A paper in the liberal interest, called the Essex Independent, was commenced here in 1832, but discontinued a few years afterwards.
The Essex Standard was printed here from 1834 to 1836, but it was removed to Colchester again, in the latter year. Essex Church Schoolmasters’ Association, established about five years ago, is supported by many ofthe clergy of the county, and holds meetings for lectures, discussions, &c. , at various places. Mr. W. Forsyth is the secretary,
A Church Choral Society was established here in 1846, and has already a numerous list of members, and much vocal talent. Balls, Concerts, &c. , are occasionally held in the large and elegantAssembly Room, at the Shire Hall. The Chelmsford and Essex Florist and Horticultural Society was established in 1824, and holds its meetings at the Saracen’s Head. The old Theatre has been taken down for the improvement of the town, and another has not yet been erected. The CHELMSFORD FARMERS’ CLUB was established in 1841 ,
and holds its monthly meetings at the White Hart Inn. R. Baker, Esq. , is chairman ; and Mr. H. T. Biddell, secretary. They hold the same offices in the Essex Agricultural Protection Society, which was formed in Dec. 1843, and has been instrumental in the formation of similar societies in many other counties, as well as the central society in London, (under the presidency of the Duke of Richmond,) to which it subscribed £1,000. Before the virtual repeal of the corn laws, in 1846, it circulated about 100,000 tracts and papers against that measure. It has still about 3,000 members, and means to continue its exertions ” for the protection of Agriculture and British Industry.” An Association for the Protection of Trade against fraud- ulent practices, was established here in 1847, and Messrs. Durrant and Last are its solicitors .
The SAVINGS’ BANK, for Chelmsford and Dengie Hundreds, was established in 1837, and in Nov. 1847, had deposits amounting to £79,908, belonging to 2,780 depositers, and several Charities and Friendly Societies. It is open every Friday, from 11 till 2o’clock,
and connected with it is an Annuity Office. R. C. Haselfoot, Esq is the treasurer ; the Rev. C. A. St. John Mildmay, secretary ; and Mr. G. H. Durrant, actuary. ESSEX PROVIDENT SOCIETY was established in 1818, and has 20 sub-committees in various parts of the county. It has now a stock of more than £40,000, and 7,382 members, of whom, 456 are honorary, and 6,926 provident members. The latter, by monthly contributions of 8d. to 9s. 10d. , according to age and class, make a provision for weekly allowances of from 4s. 8d. to 21s. in times of sickness, and for the funeral expenses of themselves or their wives. Mr. John Bassingwhite is clerk to this useful society, and no fewer than 1,225 of its members reside in Chelmsford District, for which the sub-committee meets every fourth Tuesday, in Duke street. CHELMSFORD PROVIDENT SOCIETY was established in 1844, for the same objects as the above, and has now about 350 members. Mr. George Choat is the clerk. There is a Masonic Lodge at the White Hart Inn. The Essex Economic Fire Assurance Association was established here in 1824, and has a large capital and extensive business. Mr. J. K. Leake is the secretary. Among other provident institutions in the town, is the Chelmsford and Essex Building and Investment Society, established in 1845, under the management of Mr. H. Rayner, jun. The shares are £120, and the monthly subscription 10s. per share. About 540 shares are already disposed of. The South Essex Building Society meets at the Blue BoyInn, and Mr. W. B. Gepp is the manager. Here is also a ” Mutual Fund Association,” in 1,000 £12 shares, and Mr. J. Hasler is the secretary.
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 Peverell, 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 pay- ment of 17s. 10d., at the Court of Augmentations; and of £2. 0. 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 present governors are- Lord Petre, Sir H. Mildmay, Bart. , Sir J. T. Tyrell, and T. W. Bramston, Esq.
The school property yields an annual income of about £488., and comprises , seven houses, cottages , &c ., at Great Baddow, let for £65: 10s. ;-29A. 16P. of land called Barryes, at Hatfield Peverell and Ulting, let for £36.5s. Od.; a farm of 173A. 34P., called Plumborough Marsh, at Southminster, let for £230 ;-about 87A. at West Tilbury, let for £105; and two sums in the Old and New South Sea Annuities, amounting to £1,805. 5s. 5d. , purchased with savings of income. The School has room for 80 boys, and adjoining it is a playground of two aeres, and also a large house, garden, &c ., occupied free of rent, rates and taxes, by the master, who has a yearly salary of £220.
According to the rules made by the governors in 1830, they should also employ an usher in holy orders, and allow him a yearly salary of £100, with the liberty of taking a curacy ; but the present assistant is paid by the master. The number of free-scholars is limited to 40,-twenty from Chelmsford and Moulsham, and twenty from the surrounding parishes , within the distance of six miles ; but there are now but few scholars, the present respected master, Rev. Jas. Hutchinson, being old and infirm. Many of the inhabitants of the town and neighbourhood would be glad to send their sons to this school, if the funds of the endowment were applied to the purposes of a general English Education ; and with this view, the governors , after the decease of the present master, ought to consult the Bishop of the Diocese, in conformity with the directions of the charter, and lay before his lordship the outline of a liberal plan, suited to the wants of the tradesmen and artificers of the town, as, indeed, they proposed to do in 1807. Alarge portion of the school income is exhausted by repairs, rates, tithes, and other inciden- tal expences, and the payment of £20 a year to the treasurer. If Maldon fails to claim Dr. Plume’s Exhibition of £6 per annum, at Christ’s College,
Cambridge That eminent , a boylawyer from this school may claim it. , the late Rt. Hon. Sir N. C. Tindal, chiefjustice 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 practiced as a Physician. He translated Livy, Pliny’s Natural History, Plutarch’s Morals, Camden’s Britannia, 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.
Chelmsford CHARITY SCHOOL, near the Churchyard, 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 and John Clarke, in 1791 and 1802; and £100 each by Henry Lambrith and Timothy Holmsted. 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 a handsome building called the Victoria Schools, at the top of New-street, erected in 1841 , at the cost of about £ 1,100, on land given by Lady Mildmay. The structure 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 pupils. There are also National and Infant Schools in Moulsham and Springfield ; and in Fryers- street are large British Schools, erected in 1840, at the cost of £1,200, raised by subscription, and a Govern- ment grant of £300. They are attended by 350 children-boys, girls, and infants. For teaching reading, writing, and arithmetic, to 30 poor children of Chelmsford and the neighbourhood, a schoolmaster in Springfield, receives £35 a year from the trustees of Dr. Williams’ Charities. Children of the Church of England are not excluded, but they are expected to conform to the rules of the School, which was established more than 40 years ago.
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. The Sunday Schools attached to the Churches and Chapels are numerously attended Chelmsford . Dispensary, now in New Bridge- street, was established in 1818, for supplying the poor with medical and surgical aid. It is well supported by subscriptions, and attended gratuitously by the physicians and surgeons of the town. It is open on Tuesdays and Fridays, and Viscount Maynard is the president, and Mr. W. Baker, the dispenser. The Benevo- lent Society, for visiting and relieving the poor under affliction, was estab- lished 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. The Rector of Springfield lets 8A. of land in 64 allotments, to the poor, at the rate of £2. 8s. per acre ; and in Broomfield road are 104. let by Lady Mildmay, in garden plots, at the yearly rent of 6s. per 10 rods. There are also garden allotments in Springfield, belonging to the Parker family.
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 heef and herrings among the poor of Moulsham and Chelmsford, and £6 for equal distribution among the six poor people in the six 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 payment ofsix loads of wood for the almspeople. In lieu of this wood and the £5. 6s. 8d, Lady Mildmay has usually distributed £20 yearly in coals, among the poor. A yearly rent of £1 6s. 8d. for the poor of Chelmsford, out of the Millfield, in Springfield, left by Simon Sceafield, has not been paid since 1731. 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, 5A. now let at the high rent of £39, which is distributed by the churchwardens in bread. In 1746, Eliz. 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 cent Consols, purchased with £100 left by Matthew Joyce, in 1778. J. H. Strutt, Esq. , and others, are the trustees. In Baddow lane are six small Almshouses, which were given by an unknown donor in 1630, and rebuilt by the parish in 1783. They are occupied by poor families, placed in them by the churchwardens.
Springfield Parish Almshouses consist of four tenements on the Green, and two others on the Little Waltham road. They are occupied by pau- pers, and have been long vested in trust, for the use of the poor parishioners, who have also a yearly rent charge of £6. 13s 4d. left by an unknown 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 an early period, and comprise 12A. 2R. 21P. let for about £35 a
year, most of which is applied in the service of the church.
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. Albans, in Hertfordshire, was incorporated by charter, in 1747. It has now a stock of nearly £15,000 in government securities , the dividends of which, with donations and annual subscriptions (about £700) swell its yearly income to upwards of £ 1,200. It has about 50 pen- sioners, to whom it allows stipends, which amount, collectively, to about £1,000 per annum. About £12,000 of its capital stock was left for the general purposes of the charity, and about £ 1,100 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; £1,000 by the Rev. Mr. Hall, in 1796; £800 by the Rev. Mr.
Cuthbert, in 1799 ; £1,500 by the Rev. J. Burgess, in 1830 ; and £700 by Mrs. Mary Squire, in 1840. Divisional Courts, for making grants, &c. are held yearly at Brentwood, Colchester, Walden, and Dunmow, and a General Court of Audit, is held at Chelmsford, in the early part of August. The Bishop of London is the president ; Archdeacon Burney, of Sible Heding- ham, is the general treasurer, and Mr. S. W. Maryon, of Chelmsford, is the secretary.
LIST OF STREETS, &c. IN CHELMSFORD & SUBURBS.
Anehor street, Moulsham
Angel yard, Conduit street
Baddow lane and road, Moulsham
Bell yard, Conduit street
Broomfield road , King street
Carron row, Moulsham
Conduit street and square, High street
Coval terrace, Duke street
Cottage place, New street
Crane court, High street
Duke street, Conduit square
Fryers street and place, Moulsham
Galleywood common, Race Course
Greyhound lane, New street
High street, Conduit square
King street, Duke street
Mesopotamia Island, Bridges
Moulsham,foot of High street
Mount hill, Springfield
Museum terrace, New Bridge street
New street, Conduit square
New Bridge street, High street
New London road & street, Moulsham
Princes place, Railway street
Providence square, Springfield
Queen street, New London road
Race Course, 2.5 miles South
Railway Station, Duke street
Railway st . & square, Broomfield road
Rainsford end, Broomfield road
Springfield, N. of the river Chelmer
St. John’s road, Moulsham
Threadneedle street, Duke street
Townfields, Railway street
Union yard, Conduit street
Upper terrace, Springfield
Western terrace, New London road
Wood street, Moulsham
Writtle road & lane, New London road