A HISTORY OF ESSEX 



widows and other poor persons. The bread doles were 

 stopped in 1917 under a scheme of 191 5. In 1935 the 

 income of ^^3 1 1/. 8a'. was distributed in small sums of 

 cash and the same practice appears to have been fol- 

 lowed since. 



The Revd. Robert Gibson, by will proved 1 840, left 

 ;^20o in trust for distribution among the poor of the 



parish, preferably those who were sober and industrious 

 and attended church regularly. Charlotte Gibson, by 

 will proved 1859, left £200 in trust for the yearly dis- 

 tribution of blankets, sheets, coals, or clothing to the 

 poor of the parish. These two charities have generally 

 been distributed together. In 1950 the income of ^^5 

 from each was given away in food and clothing.39 



GREENSTEAD 



Greenstead is a small parish adjoining Chipping 

 Ongar to the west.' From 1 548 to 1554 it was united 

 with Chipping Ongar.^ Its population has always been 

 small until the last 20 years. In 1801 it was 102, and 

 in 193 1, 119. The population in 195 1 was 785, the 

 large increase being mainly accounted for by the build- 

 ing of houses on the estate adjoining Chipping Ongar.' 

 The main centres of population are at the east and west 

 ends of the parish, not in the centre by the hall and the 

 church. 



The land rises from about 200 ft. above sea-level in 

 the east to 300 ft. in the west. A stream which rises in 

 the west flows east to join Cripsey Brook near the 

 north-east corner. Greenstead Wood is in the west, 

 between the stream and the north boundary. The 

 road from Chipping Ongar enters Greenstead in the 

 south-east and runs through the parish to Greenstead 

 Green in the north-west. At the Ongar end of this 

 road there is a small built-up area, mostly of the 19th 

 century and later. To the north of this is a large hous- 

 ing site consisting of 100 privately built houses, 30 

 post-1945 council houses, and two groups of pre- 

 fabricated houses. 



The rectory lies on the road about | mile from 

 Ongar. To the west of it, lying close together to the 

 north of the road, are the parish church and Green- 

 stead Hall. They are joined to Ongar by an avenue of 

 trees about a mile long.'' 



There are a number of houses at Greenstead Green. 

 Little Thorbens (now called The Cottage) is a small 

 two-story timber-framed house with a cross-wing and 

 an overhanging gable at its west end. The date 1564 

 is cut on one of the roof timbers. 5 Blackstock House 

 and Tudor Cottage formerly made up a single house, 

 named New House. Tudor Cottage is timber-framed 

 and partly weather-boarded, and dates from the late 

 1 6th or early 17th century. Blackstock House, on the 

 west, is a gault brick addition dating from about 1870. 

 Greenstead House is a two-story stucco building, dating 

 from the i8th century with a large addition of about 

 i860. Ivy Cottage adjoins it (see below, Schools). 

 Hardings Farm is opposite Ivy Cottage. Also at Green- 

 stead Green, on the south side of the road leading to 

 Ongar, are five pairs of council houses. The green 

 from which this part of the parish took its name no 

 longer exists, but within living memory there was a 

 long triangular open green on the west side of the road 

 here, reaching nearly to Toot Hill in Stanford Rivers.* 

 The present road from Greenstead Green to Toot Hill 

 appears to have been constructed between 1838 and 



1873-4.' Pensons Lane runs from Greenstead Green 

 north-east to Ackingford Bridge (see Chipping Ongar). 

 Another road runs north from Greenstead Green to 

 Bobbingworth. A road from the centre of the parish 

 runs south to Stanford Hall and the church in Stanford 

 Rivers. Half a mile to the east of this road, on the 

 southern border of the parish, is Lodge Farm. It is a 

 timber-framed house of mid- or late-i7th-century date, 

 and it contains a round-headed corner cupboard of the 

 same period. 



The railway from Epping to Ongar passes through 

 a small part of the parish on the north east. Blake Hall 

 station, on this line, is J mile north of Greenstead 

 Green but is in the parish of Stanford Rivers. 



Few references have been found to the parish roads. 

 In 1598 Greenstead was presented at quarter sessions 

 for the bad state of its highways. ^ In 16 18-19 ^^* 

 road from Chipping Ongar to Greenstead was in a 

 bad condition and the parishioners of Greenstead and 

 High Ongar were said to be jointly responsible for its 

 upkeep.' 



For transport and postal services Greenstead has 

 always depended on Chipping Ongar (q.v.) 



The Greenstead housing estate has all the public 

 services.'" Water was supplied to some parts of the 

 parish in 1908, from Chipping Ongar as far as Green- 

 stead church." There is sewerage as far as the Croft.'^ 

 Gas was first supplied in 1934. It at first extended 

 along the road to Blake Hall Station.'-J Greenstead 

 Green has had electricity since 1932.'^ 



In 1086 there were in all 8 plough-teams in Green- 

 stead, woodland for 520 swine, 35 acres of meadow. 

 There were then only 14 pigs on the manor: the num- 

 ber had declined from 30 in 1066. There were 40 

 goats and 20 sheep, a rouncy, and 3 beasts. '5 The 

 parish was less densely wooded than Chipping Ongar 

 (q.v.) to the east. 



The manor of Greenstead in 1349 was said to 

 contain 60 acres of (arable) land, 8 acres of meadow, 

 1 5 acres of pasture, and a wood.'* In 1625 it was said 

 to contain 100 acres of land, 20 acres of meadow, 60 

 acres of pasture, and 60 acres of underwood." In 1690 

 there were 100 acres of land, 80 acres of meadow, 100 

 acres of pasture, and 80 acres of underwood.'^ These 

 figures seem to indicate that from the 14th century 

 onwards the demesne farm gradually increased in size 

 until, by the end of the 17th century it contained about 

 half the total area of the parish. In the i8th century 

 there were at least three farms in the parish apart from 

 the home farm of Greenstead Hall." During the first 



39 Char. Com. files. 



' O.S. 2i in. Map, sheet 52/50. Area 

 683 acres. ^ See Chipping Ongar. 



3 Census } inf. from Essex County Council. 



* The avenue existed in 1770: Hist. 

 Essex by Gent, iii, 378. 



* Inf. from the occupier, Mr. Ginger. 



* Inf. from Mrs. Kinsman of Green- 

 stead House. The green is well shown on 



the Tithe Map (1838): E.R.O., D/CT 

 153B. 



' Cf. Tithe Map and 0.5. 6 in. Map 

 (ist edn.), sheet 1 (1873-4). 

 8 E.R.O., e/SR 14.1/21. 

 •> Ibid. Q/SBa 1/35. 

 "> Inf. from Councillor Hadler. 

 " Inf. from Herts, and Essex Water- 

 works Co. 



■2 Inf. from Councillor Hadler. 

 " Inf. from East. Gas Bd. 

 '« Inf. from East. Elec. Bd. 

 ■s r.C.H. Essex, i, 502. 

 '^ Cal. Inq. p.m. IX, p. z^z, 

 '■> CP43/169 rot. 52. 

 '8 CP43/428 rot. Si. 

 " See below, Manor. 



58 



