A HISTORY OF ESSEX 



acted as lord of the manor until his death in 1 540, and 

 so also did his son George.^' 



When George son of Roger Scott died in 1589 he 

 left Woolston in his will to his two daughters Elizabeth 

 and Mary.32 This bequest was, however, invalid 

 owing to a settlement made under the will of William 

 Scott (d. 1491). By that settlement the manor passed 

 to George Scott, son of Hugh, who was already the 

 tenant of Woolston under the 99-year lease. This 

 George Scott was living at Woolston Hall when he 

 became its owner.^J He died a few months later, in 

 December I589.3'« He had made his will before 

 inheriting the freehold, leaving his lease of Woolston 

 to his grandson George son of William Scott. Accord- 

 ing to the settlement of 1 49 1 the heir to the freehold 

 was William Scott, eldest son of the George Scott who 

 died in December 1589. William never acted as lord 

 of the manor. He died in 1597." George, son of 

 William Scott, who had inherited the lease of the 

 manor, acted as lord from 1590 onwards.^* He died 

 in 1648.37 He never lived at Woolston Hall, which 

 was let to various tenants.ss About 1640 he had 

 settled Woolston on his son and heir George Scott, 

 who inherited the manor in 1648 and died in 1683.3' 

 The last named George Scott was succeeded by his 

 son William, who died in i72 5.'"> William's elder son 

 George inherited the manor but died unmarried in 

 1727.*' He was succeeded by his brother Thomas 

 who died in ijjj.*^ Thomas's son, George Scott, was 

 a minor, and manor courts were held until 1741 in the 

 name of his guardian. Sir Robert Abdy, Bt.'*' George 

 died childless in 1780, leaving Woolston to his second 

 cousin Robert Bodle of Clare Market, London, a 

 picture-frame maker.'*^ 



Robert Bodle died in 1785, leaving Woolston in 

 trust for the benefit of his son Robert, who came of age 

 in I79i.'*5 The younger Robert held Woolston until 

 his death in 185 1. In 1839 his estate consisted of 350 

 acres in Chigwell parish.** He left two daughters, of 

 whom the elder, Mary Elizabeth, inherited the manor 

 but died unmarried in i872.'*'' The younger daughter, 

 Louisa, had married George Watlington as his second 

 wife, but died without issue before her sister. After 

 the death of Mary Elizabeth Woolston passed to John 

 Watlington Perry Watlington, son of Thomas Perry 

 by his wife Maria Jane, daughter of George Watlington 

 by his first wife. J. W. Perry Watlington died childless 

 in 1882, and his estates passed to his sister Louisa wife 

 of Robert Peel Ethelston. She died in 1892, leaving 

 Woolston to her second son Robert W. Ethelston. He 

 died in 1914 and the manor was subsequently vested 

 in trustees.''^ Shortly before 1939 Woolston Hall was 

 sold, possibly for the first time since the 12th century. 



It is now a sports club belonging to the Co-operative 

 Wholesale Society.*' The building is L-shaped in plan, 

 with the main front facing south-east. It is of two 

 stories with attics, partly timber-framed and plastered 

 and partly of brick. It was built about 1600, possibly 

 incorporating remains of an earlier house. The south- 

 west front has an early 18th-century eaves cornice and 

 a Doric porch with paired outer columns. The house 

 was 'modernized and improved' early in the 19th 

 century, probably by Robert Bodle. so Over the mantel 

 shelf in the entrance hall is an oil painting, installed by 

 George Scott (d. 1780) depicting his arms impaling 

 those of his wife Jane (Gibson) and several trophies.si 

 Chigwell church (see below) has existed at least 



since the 1 2th century. The advowson 

 CHURCHES was originally appurtenant to the 



manor of Chigwell Hall (see above). s^ 

 By about 1254 a vicarage existed as well as a rectory.ss 

 The names of the vicars have been recorded from the 

 early 14th century. They were presented by the rectors 

 and at first held only permissive office. In 1374, how- 

 ever, a vicarage was formally ordained by the Bishop of 

 London on the application of Henry Marmion then 

 rector and Richard de Benlace, then vicar.s* Shortly 

 before this, in 1362, Sir John de Goldingham, lord of 

 Chigwell Hall, conveyed the advowson of the rectory 

 to Corpus Christi College, Cambridge,5s but there is 

 no evidence that the grant became effective. In the 

 same year as the grant Alexander de Goldingham, son 

 of Sir John, presented to the rectory, and he did so on 

 several later occasions up to 1386.56 In 1388 Sir 

 Alexander conveyed the advowson to John, Lord 

 Bourchier.s' Bourchier presented in 1392 and his son 

 Bartholomew, 3rd Lord Bourchier, in 1400.58 In 

 1404 Bartholomew conveyed the advowson to John 

 son of William Doreward of Bocking.5' This grant 

 was confirmed in 1425 by Sir Walter de Goldingham.*" 

 In 1439 John son of John Doreward gave the advowson 

 to the priory of St. Botolph, Colchester, and in 1440 

 the rectory was appropriated to the priory, which pre- 

 sented to the vicarage of Chigwell in 1442 and 1443.*' 

 The appropriation was short-lived. In 1447 a new 

 rector was presented by the Archbishop of Canterbury 

 and in 145 1 a new vicar was presented not by the 

 priory but, as previously, by the rector.*^ 



In 1460 the priory presented Ralph Bird to the 

 rectory.*3 In 1465 the king granted the rectory to 

 Kemp's Chantry in St. Paul's cathedral, newly founded 

 by Thomas Kemp, Bishop of London.** The office of 

 priest in this chantry was united with that of penitentiary 

 in the cathedral. In 1470 Ralph Bird became Pre- 

 bendary of St. Pancras in the cathedral.*s Soon after 

 this the prebend was formally united with the offices 



" E.R. Ixii (Apr.), p. 53. 

 " P.C.C. 24. Leicester. 



33 E.R. Ixii (Apr.), pp. 53-54. 



34 P.C.C. 98 Leicester. 



35 Chigwell Par. Reg. 



3' E.R.O., D/DEs M98. On several 

 occasions during George Scott's lifetime 

 the manor was vested in trustees. 



3' P.C.C. 75 Essex. 



3' E.R. Ixii (July), p. 4.0. 



39 P.C.C. 75 Essex; P.C.C. 22 Hare. 



*» P.C.C. i64Romncy. 



*■ Chigwell Par. Reg.; P.C.C. 74 

 Farrant. 



•»2 Par. Reg. 



<3 E.R.O., D/DEs M108. 



** P.C.C. 417 Collins. William Bodle, 

 father of Robert, had married Elizabeth, 



daughter of George Scott, brother of the 

 William Scott who had died in 1725: 

 Visits, of Essex (Harl. Soc), 706. 



■•5 P.C.C. 491 Ducarel. 



«6 E.R.O., D/CT 78. 



■»' Par. Reg. 



•»8 Burke's L.G. (15th edn.), 712; 

 Kelly's Dir. Essex (1933). 



« E.R. Ixii (Sept.), p. 45. 



50 Ibid. 



51 Ibid. For recent photos, of Woolston 

 Hall see E.R. Ixii (Apr.) 49, (July) 37. 

 For some details of the furnishings of the 

 house in 1588 see E.A.T. n.s. xi, 338. 

 The house then included a 'great chamber', 

 a 'garden chamber', a 'gallery chamber', 

 a 'green chamber', a kitchen and a brew- 

 house. 



5^ Newcourt, Repert. ii, 140—2. 



53 E.A.T. ti.s. xviii, 18. 



s* Reg. Sudbury (Cant. & York Soc), 

 i, 176—9; Marmion died in 1375. For his 

 will see E.A.T. N.s. xi, 1 1 . 



55 Challenor Smith, Additions to Neiv- 

 court^ 29. 



5' Newcourt, Repert. ii, 142. 



5' Feet of F. Essex, iii, 209. 



s8 Newcourt, ibid. 



59 Ca/. Close, 1402-5, 297-8. 



'"' Feet of F. Essex, iv, 5. 



" Newcourt, Repert. ii, 140-2. 



" Ibid. 



'3 Ibid. 



'* Ibid. 141. 



'5 Ibid, i, 195. 



32 



