A HISTORY OF ESSEX 



Nothing certain is known concerning the foundation 

 of Coulson's Almshouses, which adjoin 

 CHARITIES Chigwell School to the north-east. 

 The words 'Coulson's Almshouses 

 1557' inscribed upon the building were evidently 

 added at the rebuilding of 1858. In 1849 the gram- 

 mar school records were said to include a document 

 of 1 61 9 implying that the almshouses built by Thomas 

 Coulson then stood on the east of the school.^^ A 

 family called Coulson had lived in the parish since 1 592 

 at least.^5 One of the houses in 1 849 also bore the date 

 1664, but this may have commemorated an extension 

 to the buildings.^* In the late 1 8th century the owners 

 of land called Cardhams paid a rent charge of ^^4 for 

 the maintenance of four poor widows and also repaired 

 the almshouses and nominated the inmates. In 1803 

 the owner was not allowed to nominate them because 

 he did not live in the parish and he refused to repair 

 the houses unless his obligation could be proved. ^5 This 

 could apparently not be done and a subscription was 

 raised for the purpose in 1820.26 j^ jg^j tjie rent- 

 charge was reassigned to Brookhouse Farm:^' it was 

 thereafter paid until its redemption in 1938 for ;^i6o 

 which was invested.^* 



In 1834 the almshouses consisted of three two- 

 roomed tenements under one roof. The parishioners 

 then nominated the inmates.^' After various earlier 

 attempts, the almshouses were reljuilt in 1 8 5 8 by public 

 subscription in their present enlarged form. In 1864 

 the vestry added to the endowment ^100 received by 

 them in consideration of the closure of a footpath. 

 This was used to pay each almswoman 6s. %d. a 

 quarter.3o ^ further gift of j^20 was added in 1869. 

 In 195 1—2 the charity's income was £j js. Over ^10 

 was spent on the almshouses and their occupants, the 

 excess being met out of the other funds of the United 

 Charities (see below).^' 



By his will of 1585 Robert Rampston of Chingford 

 left rent charges to be applied for the benefit of the 

 poor in various Essex parishes. ^^ That for Chigwell is 

 £z a year, charged on Stone Hall in Little Canfield. 

 In 1835 it was spent on bread which was distributed 

 about Lady Day to poor persons in proportion to the 

 size of their families. In 195 1—2 it was used for the 

 general purpose of the United Charities. 



Mary Fountain, by will proved 1 804, left ^^90 after 

 expiry of a life interest, in trust for two blind women 

 of the parish. 33 The will was unsuccessfully disputed 

 in Chancery and the legacy was paid in 1817. In 1834 

 there were no qualified beneficiaries in Chigwell and 

 the income was intermittently paid to two blind women 

 in Whitechapel. In 195 1—2 the income was £2 6s. %ii. 

 and gifts of £1 each were made to two blind women, 

 one in Chigwell and one in Buckhurst Hill. 



James Hatch, lord of Chigwell Hall manor, by will 

 proved 1807, left j^i,ooo in trust to maintain his tomb 

 at Little Ilford, to make an inscription in Chigwell 

 church recording the bequest, and for the most 



deserving poor of Chigwell not in receipt of parish 

 relief 3< The provision for the tomb was invalid, but 

 payments were apparently made for it at various times. 

 In 1834 £10 was distributed in small cash gifts. In 

 195 1-2 the income was £,2St of which ;£20 were 

 distributed in gifts of j^i each. 



Mary Grainger, by will proved 1808, left ^1,000 

 in trust for eight poor widows of Chigwell of over 50 

 years of age.35 Preference was to be given to the moral 

 and industrious and distribution was to take place on 

 St. Thomas's Day. In 1835 ^31 los. was distributed. 

 In 195 1-2 the income was ^{^22 10/., of which j^20 

 was distributed in eight gifts of ^^2 \os. 



Mrs. Barbara Fisher in 1809 bequeathed ;^ioo to 

 the poor of Chigwell.36 In 1834 the interest was used 

 to buy bread which was distributed to the poor accord- 

 ing to the size of their families. In 195 1-2 the income 

 of C'i 6j- was used for the general purposes of the 

 United Charities. 



Mrs. Rosetta Waddell, by will proved 1866, left 

 £25 for the benefit of the deserving poor of the parish 

 who were not receiving parish relief.3' In 1896 the 

 income was used to supplement the endowment of the 

 almshouses, in gifts to the almswomen. In 195 1-2 it 

 amounted to 13/. and was used for the general pur- 

 poses of the United Charities. 



By a scheme of 1899 all the above charities were 

 united under one board of trustees who were to carry 

 out the original purposes of each.^s In 195 1-2, in 

 addition to the payments specifically mentioned above, 

 a payment of £j 4/. was made to Chigwell County 

 Primary School. Apparently the trustees believed that 

 this sum had formerly been paid to St. Mary's Girls' 

 School, but there appears to be no mention of such a 

 payment in the scheme of 1899 or elsewhere in the 

 Charity Commission Records. 



Joan Sympson, by will proved 1562, left £io for 

 the repair of the highway between Chigwell and 

 London.3 9 This was added to a trust which she had 

 founded three years earlier. In 1 871 a small piece of 

 land, apparently allotted earlier in respect of common 

 rights, was sold for £^^.^° In 1938 a field comprising 

 the whole landed property of the charity was sold for 

 j/^3,150. By 195 1 the charity held ^1,080 stock. In 

 the early 19th century the charity appears to have been 

 virtually dead, probably because the road was then 

 being repaired by a turnpike trust.*' Trustees were 

 appointed in 1857 and later in the century the charity's 

 income was used to repair the footpath along the 

 Abridge-Woodford road. In the 20th century the 

 charity has paid the county council for the repair of 

 the road. Much of the income has been reinvested: 

 in 1947 none was spent. 



The Harsnett Charity (1629), the main provision of 

 which was for the foundation of the schools at Chigwell, 

 included an endowment of ^^lo a year to be spent on 

 bread to be given to those poor people of the parish 

 who attended church, and 20^. a year to the parish 



" E.R.O., D/P 166/8/11. The date 

 must have been an error since the school 

 was not founded until 1629. 



23 Chigwell Par. Reg. 



" E.R.O., D/P 166/8/11. 



25 Rep. Com. Char. (Essex), H.C. 216, 



pp. 223-5 ("835). «i (>); E-R-0., D/P 



166/8/11. 

 " E.R.O., D/P 166/8/11. 

 " Rep. Com. Char. (Essex), pp. 223-5. 

 28 char. Com. files. 

 » Rep. Com. Char. (Essex), pp. 223-5. 



30 E.R.O., D/P 166/8/11; Kelly's Dir. 

 Essex (1899, 1933). 

 3^ Ciiar. Com. files. 



32 P.C.C. 40 Brudenell; Rep. Com. Char. 

 (Essex), ibid.; Char. Com. files. 



33 Rep. Com. Char. (Essex); Char. Com. 

 Recs.; MS. Book 'An Acct. of Donations 

 &c., to the Poor of Chigwell', in possession 

 of the Trustees of Chigwell United 

 Charities. For Mrs. Fisher see below, 

 Fisher's Charity. 



34 Ibid. 



35 Ibid. 



36 Ibid. 



3' Char. Com. files; 'Acct. of Dona- 

 tions &c.' 



38 Char. Com. files; Chigwell Par. 

 Mag., Sept. 1926. 



39 Char. Com. files; E.R. xix, 1-7, 70- 

 77; E.A.T. N.s. xi, 153. See also Topo- 

 graphy, above. 



■»" See Agriculture, above. 

 4' There is no mention of this charity in 

 the 1835 Report. 



42 



