A HISTORY OF ESSEX 



in 1790 to Hicks-Beach.'* In 1800 a private Act of 

 Parliament was passed to enable him to sell Chigwell 

 and other property, which were still subject to the 

 limitations imposed by the settlement under the will of 

 Michael Hicks in 1764." The purchaser was James 

 Hatch of Bromley (Mdx.), a wealthy malt-distiller. He 

 paid over ^30,000 for the manor of Chigwell (including 

 West Hatch) and the estate of 1,430 acres.' 



Hatch died in 1806, leaving three daughters, Caro- 

 line wife of John Rutherforth Abdy, Jemima later wife 

 of Christopher James Mills, and Louisa later wife of 

 William Rufus Rous. The eldest daughter and her 

 husband, who changed his name to Hatch-Abdy, acted 

 as joint lords of Chigwell until her death without 

 issue in 1838. The lordship then passed to Caroline's 

 nephew James Mills, who died in 1884, also without 

 issue.^ Mills was succeeded by William John Rous, 

 son of the above Louisa. Since Rous's death in 19 14 

 the manor has been invested in trustees, chief among 

 whom was the Earl of Stradbroke.3 In 1839 James 

 Mills's estate in Chigwell comprised about 900 acres.'* 

 This included Luxborough and Buckhurst (for both of 

 which see below). 



The original manor house of Chigwell Hall was be- 

 side the Roding where the R.A.F. Station now stands.' 

 The moat which had surrounded the house survived 

 until 1937, when it was filled in by the contractors 

 building the R.A.F. Station.* The site had been de- 

 serted by the middle of the 17th century and a new 

 manor house built near the church and the site of the 

 modern Bramstons.' This house had evidently been 

 rebuilt by about 1870.* The house now known as 

 Chigwell Hall is a little to the south of the previous 

 house, on the opposite side of Roding Lane.' The 

 Manor House near Woodford Bridge has been greatly 

 altered. It has fine wrought iron gates dating from the 

 1 8th century. It is now a convent. 



In 1359 William de Melcesborn appointed attornies 

 to give seisin of his manor of WEST HATCH to 

 Nicholas Ploket."" In 1389 William Tasburgh clerk 

 and John Bekke granted to Sir Alexander de Golding- 

 ham lands and tenements in the vills of Chigwell and 

 Barking called 'le Westhach and Bookhurst', once be- 

 longing to Nicholas Ploket and previously to William 

 de Melcesborn." West Hatch subsequently passed 

 along with the main manor of Chigwell Hall.'^ The 

 two manors were usually described in the 17th century 

 and later as the manor of Chigwell-and- West-Hatch. 

 The present house of Great West Hatch dates from 

 about 1 800. It is of stock brick with two stories. It is 

 now used as a hospital (see Public Services). 



The manor of APPLETONS, now known as Old 

 Farm, was in Green Lane. It probably took its name 

 from the family of Thomas Apilton, who with his wife 

 Anne was party to a fine of 1402 relating to 180 acres 

 of land and 20 acres of meadow in Chigwell. '-J Later 



in the 15th century Philip Malpas held Appletons: it 

 passed on his death to his daughter Elizabeth wife of Sir 

 Thomas Cooke.''' She died about 1484 having settled 

 it upon her son John Cooke in reversion. 's John died in 

 i486 holding it as a tenant of John [George ?] Mannock, 

 lord of Chigwell Hall; his brother Sir Philip Cooke was 

 his heir.'* Appletons was later in the hands of William 

 Cooke, probably the brother of Sir Philip." In 1520 

 William sold the manor to Sir John Brygges and John 

 Senewe of London." ' Senewe died in 1537 leaving 

 Appletons to the children of his sister Elizabeth, who 

 had married John Hill." About 1 540 Tristram Cooke, 

 son of Thomas, son of the above William Cooke, sought 

 possession of the manor.^" He appears to have had some 

 success, for in 1 564 the children of John Hill took pro- 

 ceedings against his representatives for unlawful entry.^' 

 The plaintiffs seem to have won their case : the Woolston 

 court roll of 1 567 recorded a declaration that Thomas 

 Colshill, Thomas P~uller, and others who were shown 

 to be the descendants of John Hill, jointly held the 

 freehold of various lands, part of their ruined tenement 

 called Appletons.^^ Colshill sold his share to Thomas 

 Fuller who died about 1 575 leaving the house of Apple- 

 tons, in which he lived, to his nephew Henry Fuller of 

 North Weald Bassett, probably a relative of the Henry 

 Fuller who owned Stocktons (see below) about this 

 time.23 Thomas Fuller had presumably bought the 

 other shares in the property, in addition to that of 

 Colshill. 



Henry Fuller died in 1602.^^ Appletons passed suc- 

 cessively to his son (d. 1623) and his grandson, both 

 named Henry.^s Henry Fuller of Appletons appears in 

 a presentment of 1668.^' Thomas Buckford held 

 Appletons from 1671 until his death in 1688." In 

 1692 another Thomas Buckford sold it to Francis 

 More.^8 More's granddaughter Winifred Pitfield 

 (d. 1753) married Solomon Ashley, who died in 1778 

 holding Appletons.^' He left it to Humphrey Stuart, 

 presumably in trust for his son Solomon Ashley who 

 was named as the owner in 1783.30 In 1802 Stuart 

 sold it to John Blades, on whose death in 1830 it passed 

 to his daughter Elizabeth, wife of John Blackburn." 

 A Joshua Blackburn was given as the owner in 1839: 

 the farm then comprised 63 acres.32 Appletons was still 

 owned by the Blackburns in 1 873.^3 The present farm- 

 house is a red-brick building that appears to date from 

 the late 19th century. 



The manor of BARRINGTONS (or LITTLE 

 CHIGfVELL) took its name from the family of Bar- 

 rington which held the tenancy in demesne from the 

 1 2th to the i6th century. It is probably identical with 

 the estate of 2 hides and 1 5 acres which Robert Gernon 

 was said to hold in Chigwell in io86.3'» The overlord- 

 ship appears to have descended like that of Battles in 

 Stapleford Abbots (q.v.) until the death in 1 267 of 

 Richard de Montfichet. In 1 274 J knight's fee in Chig- 



" Burke's Peerage (19 1 3), St. Aldwyn. 

 »» Hicks-Bcach Estate Act, 40 Geo. Ill, 

 c. 78 (priv. act). 



■ E.R.O., D/DB T330. 

 » E.R.O., D/DDa Mi 2, 13. 

 3 Kelly's Dir. Essex (1933). 

 « E.R.O., D/CT 78. 

 5 See above, p. 18. 



* Personal knowledge. The moat is 

 shown on the 0,S.2\ in. Map^ sheet 5 1/4.9. 



' See above, p. 20. 



* O.S. 6 in. Map (ist edn.), sheet Ixvi. 



9 Now the headquarters of the Metro- 

 politan Police No. 5 District Sports Club. 

 ■0 E315/42/63. 



" £326/5532- 



^* Morant's statement {Hist, Essex, i, 

 166) that Walter Wrytell held West 

 Hatch in 1475 is incorrect; Wrytell held 

 the reversion only: cf. E326/8684. 



" E,A,T, N.s. X, 318. 



"♦ Cat. Inq. f.m. Hen, VII, i, p. 38. Sir 

 Tho. Cooke was Lord Mayor of London, 

 1463. 



'5 Ibid. 



'6 Ibid. 



" Visits, of Essex (Harl. Soc), 39. 



" Ci/390/29. 



" P.C.C. 13 Dvngeley; C3/101/23. 



" C 1/969/43-^. 



26 



" C3/101/23. 



" E.R.O., D/DEs M97. 



" Archd. Essex 125 Gyll. 



^* Ibid. 351 Stephen. 



" Ibid. Filed Will, 1625, 35. 



" E.R.O., D/AEA/44. 



" E.R.O., D/DU 97/2. 



28 Ibid. 



" E.R.O., D/DU 97/7. 



30 E.R.O., Q/RJ i/ii. 



3" E.R.O., D/DEs M81. 



32 E.R.O., D/CT 78. Henry Hancock 

 was tenant. 



33 E.R.O., D/P 166/11/37. 



34 V,C.H. Essex, i, 553*. 



