ONGAR HUNDRED 



FYFIELD 



which in the i8th century belonged to the Brands of 

 Herons.33 Unlike Herons, Pickerells descended to 

 Thomas, 20th Lord Dacre (d. i85i).34 By 1835 the 

 house had disappeared,3s but old foundations have been 

 found on the site during the last few years.s* The farm 

 which has been called Pickerells since before 1 873^' was 

 known as Ash's Farm until after 1842 when it was 

 owned by Lord Dacre.3 8 It stands about 300 yds. to 

 the north of the site of the former Pickerells and prob- 

 ably dates from the late 1 7th, or early 1 8th, century, 

 with a front addition of about 1800. 



The inhabitants of Fyfield were at first responsible 

 for the upkeep of Fyfield Bridge,3' but in 1616 Robert, 

 3rd Baron Rich, lord of the manor of Fyfield, was said 

 to be responsible for it.'"' The parish was again respon- 

 sible for the bridge in the early 19th century. It is not 

 included in the list of county bridges about 1800'" or 

 in 1830.42 In or shortly before 1835 it was said that 

 the occupier of Fyfield Hall estate, with the assistance 

 of the neighbouring gentry, had recently erected a 

 bridge at Fyfield, from plans and specifications by 

 George Bridges, a London builder.^s In 1835 part of 

 the bridge appears to have been a county charge.** In 

 1858 the county surveyor noted that the bridge was 

 built of oak and that in 1 856 it had been widened at the 

 expense of the county which was responsible only for 

 the additional width.^s 



In 1 79 1 a wagon went at noon on Saturdays from 

 Fyfield to the 'Saracen's Head', Aldgate.** In 1826-7 

 a coach ran from Ongar and Fyfield on every day except 

 Sunday, to the 'Bull', Aldgate, passing through Abridge 

 and Chigwell.'t' The vans of S. Clements and the 

 wagons of Thomas Nichol also served Fyfield and other 

 villages.** In 1848 George Yeallett was carrier to 

 London on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.*' In 

 1862 a coach went daily to London. so 



In 1 840 a 'memorial' for a postal service in Fyfield 

 and other parishes was sent to the Postmaster-Generals' 

 and in 1845 Fyfield asked for a receiving office. s^ The 

 request was shortly granted. S3 In 1877 an application 

 for a money-order office was refused, s* but in 1881 

 a post-office was established, serving also Cannons 

 Green, 55 with delivery extended in the next year to 

 Norwood End. 56 A telegraph office was opened under 



33 See below, Manor of Herons; Hht, 

 Essex hy Gent, iii, 333. 



34 E.R.O., e/RPl 685-737. 



" Ref. Com. Char. {Essex), H.C. 216, 

 pp. 227-8 (1835), x)ci (i). The explana- 

 tion of the disappearance of the house may 

 lie in the fact that from 1 7 80, if not before, 

 until after 184.2 the land belonging to 

 Pickerells Farm was occupied by the Ash 

 family who also occupied other farms in 

 the vicinity. Pickerells was possibly 

 demolished for better utilization of the 

 land. In 184.2 William Ash lived at Ash's 

 farm-house (sec below). 



" Inf. from Mrs. Doe of present 

 Pickerells. 



3' O.S. 6 in. Map (ist edn.), sheet xlii. 



38 E.R.O., D/CT 148. The Brands 

 owned 'John Ash farm' before 1768; 

 Morant, Essex, i, 135. This was almost 

 certainly the farm described as 'Ash's 

 Farm' in 1842. The latter was, however, 

 described as Golds in Chapman and Andr6, 

 Map of Essex jyy;, plate xii. John Ash 

 occupied nearly all the Brands' estate in 

 Fyfield, including Pickerells and another, 

 slightly larger, farm, by 1780. He was 

 succeeded in 1827-8 by Mrs. Ash who 

 was still the occupier in 1832. In 1842 

 William Ash occupied 'Ash's Farm' which 



included the land on 

 Pickerells had stood. 



39 E.R.O., Q/SR 75/33, 142/24. 



40 E.R.O., e/SBa 1/26. 

 4> E.R.O., 2/ABz 2. 



42 E.R.O., e/ABz I. 



43 Wright, Hist. Essex, ii, 338 n. 



44 E.R.O., Q/ABz 2. 



45 E.R.O., Q/ABz 3. 



46 Uni'versal Brit. Dir. (1791), i, 24. 



47 Pigot's Com. Dir. (1826-7), App. 51. 



48 Ibid. 82. Cf. Chipping Ongar, p. 158. 



49 irhile's Dir. Essex {i%^i),4it). 

 so JVhite's Dir. Essex (1863), 726. 



5" P.M.G. Mins 1840, vol. 52, p. 535. 



52 Ibid. 1845, vol. 80, p. 406. 



53 ff kite's Dir. Essex (ii6T,),yzS. 



54 P.M.G. Mins. 1877, vol. 168, min. 



5933- 



55 Ibid. 1881, vol. 219, min. 8958. 



56 Ibid. 1882, vol. 232, min. 7276. 

 5' Ibid. 1893, vol. 497, min. 8078. 

 58 Ibid. 1923, min. 5644. 



!» Inf. from Chief Constable of Essex. 

 Kelly's Dir. Essex first mentioned a 

 sergeant-in-charge in 1898. 



60 Inf. from Herts, and Essex Water- 

 works Co. 



6> Inf. from Rector of Fyfield. 



62 Inf. from East. Elec. Bd. 



45 



guarantee in 189357 and the telephone service was 

 estabhshed in 1923.58 A police officer is stationed in 

 the parish.59 



Water was supplied by the Herts, and Essex Water- 

 works Co. in the later 19th century*" but there is no 

 sewerage system.*' Electricity was supplied to most of 

 the parish in 1938.*^ The village hall was built about 

 1920,^3 and a sports ground was opened in 1951.** A 

 branch of the county library was opened in 1937. 



Fyfield has always been a rural parish devoted mainly 

 to agriculture. No evidence has been found to support 

 the tradition that Henry, Lord Scrope (d. 141 5), lord 

 of the manor of Fyfield, lived in the parish,*5 nor is 

 there evidence that any other lord of this manor lived 

 in Fyfield in medieval times. Certainly no owner of the 

 manor has been resident since early in the i6th cen- 

 tury.** The owners of Herons never lived in Fyfield 

 except for a period in the 1 8th, and perhaps in the 1 7th, 

 century.*' The Brands lived in Fyfield during the first 

 part of the 1 8th century,*^ but by 1768 Thomas Brand, 

 then lord of the manor, was no longer resident.*' Sub- 

 sequent owners of Herons never lived in Fyfield.'" The 

 owners of Lampetts lived in the parish in the 17th cen- 

 tury and in the first half of the 1 8th century," but after 

 the death of John Collins in 1750 they were not resident 

 until at least the latter half of the 19th century.'^ 



In 1842 E. F. Maitland owned 387 acres in Fyfield, 

 the Hon. W. P. T. Long-Wellesley 288 acres, the 

 Revd. J. B. Stane (of Forest Hall in High Ongar, q.v.) 

 263 acres, J. B. Stane 216 acres, and the trustees of 

 Eleanor Kirwan 238 acres.'^ None of these owners 

 farmed their land themselves.'4 J. M. Wilson owned 

 112 acres which were part of the manor of Envilles in 

 Little Laver (q.v.).'s There were three other substan- 

 tial owners in the parish; Lucy Evans owned but did 

 not occupy Dame Anna's Farm (131 acres); Thomas, 

 Lord Dacre owned but did not occupy Ash's Farm 

 (116 acres) ; and Captain Harry Ord held, as trustee of 

 Mrs. Ord, Green's Farm (70 acres) which was occupied 

 by W. Whitney, and Hale's Farm (58 acres) which was 

 occupied by J. White.'* There were three other farms 

 of over 40 acres." 



Fyfield has always been a parish of mixed farming 

 with a heavy predominance of arable. In 1086 there 



which the first 



63 Inf. from County Librarian. 



'4 Inf. from Rector of Fyfield. 



65 See above; and below, Church. 



" See below. Manor of Fyfield ; E.R.O., 

 Q/RTh I, 5; ibid. Q/RPl 685-737; ibid. 

 D/CT 148. 



" See below. Manor of Herons. 



«8 Hist. Essex by Gent, iii, 338; Wright, 

 Hist. Essex, ii, 339 n.; see below, Church, 

 The Brands may have lived at Pickerells, 

 a substantial house; see above; and 

 Morant, Essex, i, 135. A new house was 

 built at Herons soon after Thomas Brand 

 disposed of the manor : sec below. Manor 

 of Herons. 



" Morant, Essex, i, 135; Hist. Essex by 

 Gent, iii, 334; Complete Peerage, iv, 16— 



'7- 



70 E.R.O., Q/RPl 685-737; see below. 

 Manor of Herons. 



" E.R.O., Q/RTh I, 5; Morant, Essex, 

 i. '35; Wright, Hist. Essex, ii, 339. 



'2 E.R.O., Q/RPl 685-737; ibid. 

 D/CT 148. 



'3 E.R.O., D/CT 148. 



'4 Ibid. 



'5 Ibid. 



'<■ Ibid. . 



" Ibid. 



