Langley 1848 Whites Directory
LANGLEY, a pleasant scattered village, at the north end of this Hundred, 7 miles W.S.W. of Saffron Walden, and S.E. of Royston,
has in its parish 448 souls, and 1617A. 2R. 27P. of land, adjoining Hertfordshire, and including a large wood, and several scattered farm-houses, &c. Sir Francis Simpkinson is lord of the manor, but J. C. Dimsdale, Esq. , Mr. W. Death, and a few smaller owners, have estates in the parish, which was anciently appropriated to St. Bartholomew’s Priory, in West Smithfield. At the dissolution, it was granted to John Gate, Esq. , and it afterwards passed to the Bradbury, Luther, Houblon, and other families. Langley Lawn, now a farm, was long a seat of the Nightingale family, who sold it to the Smiths, whose heiress married Thomas Milner, Esq., who rebuilt the house about 1730.
The ancient Church ( St. John,) went to decay some centuries ago, but a small new one was built in the 16th century, at the charge of Saint Thomas’s, Bridewell, and Christ’s Hospitals, London, to which the great tithes were given in 1592, together with those of Clavering parish, to which Langley has since been considered a chapelry, its curacy being consolidated with the vicarage of that place .
The glebe here is 45A. 1R. 2P. , and the tithes were commuted in 1838, the rectorial for £156. 7s. , and the vicarial for £156. 15s. Here is a Baptist Chapel, erected in 1827. For apprenticing poor boys, this parish has a few pounds a year from Barlee’s Charity (see Clavering,) and the poor have 13s. annually from Martin’s Charity (see Chrishall.)
A yearly rent-charge of 20s., for 20 poor labourers, was left by one Collin, out of Prentice Closes, but the owner refused to pay it in 1815.
A legacy of £200 was left for the repairs of the Church, by Martha Cramond, in 1814. After deducting £20 for legacy duty, and £25 for repairs, the rest was laid ont in the purchase of £214, Is. 5d. Three per Cent. Consols.
Clay John, schoolmaster
Corby David, vict. Black Bull
Dew William, shoemaker
Drayton James, smith, Upper Green
Driver Nathan, carpenter
Law Joseph, beerhouse, Upper Green
Newland Thomas, shoemaker
Player Rev. Chas. (Baptist minister)
Pope Rev. John Pawley, B.A. curate
Revell Francis, parish clerk
Rumball William, beerhouse, Upper Green – Bell
Salt Susan, shopkeeper
Walford William, farrier and cow leech
Wisbey John, carpenter, Upper Green
FARMERS.
Funston Joseph, Langley Lodge
Monk Stephen, Upper Green
Morris Joseph, Mount Pleasant
Patten John, Langley Bower
Prentice William, Langley Hall
Prime Joseph, Clavering road
Savill James, Up-Ends
Watson William, Langley Lawn
Ward James (shopkeeper) Roast