A HISTORY OF ESSEX 



in 1738 his widow Anne held the estate for life.*' She 

 died in 1750 and the estate was then divided among 

 Alexander Cleeve's children. John Cleeve, Rector of 

 High Laver, inherited New House Farm, Jane Velley 

 received Hardings, Anne Cleeve had Repentance 

 Farm, and Mary Hatt had Lodge Farm.*^ In 1752 

 Greenstead Hall and the manorial estate were sold by 

 the nine surviving children of Alexander Cleeve to 

 David Rebotier of London, merchant.^-J 



David Rebotier died in 1769 and in 177 1 his son 

 Charles and his daughter Esther Rebotier sold the 

 manor to John Redman of Mile End in the parish of 

 St. Dunstan (Mdx.).*^ Redman died in 1798; he left 

 the manor to Craven Ord of the Cursitors Office, who 

 had married his daughter Mary.^s It was provided 

 that Greenstead should be held in trust for the younger 

 children of Craven and Mary. During the Napoleonic 

 Wars, however, Craven made sufficient profits from 

 the sale of timber from Greenstead to satisfy the por- 

 tions of his younger children, and on his death in 1832 

 the manor passed to his eldest son, the Revd. Craven 

 Ord(d. i836).66 



In 1837 the manor was bought by the Revd. Philip 

 Budworth, who was a grandson of Jane, daughter of 

 Alexander Cleeve and wife of the Revd. Thomas 

 Velley.*7 In jg^j Budworth also bought New House 

 Farm, which had been sold in 1778 by the executors 

 of John Cleeve and had become the property of 

 Sympson Jessopp.** Captain Philip J. Budworth was 

 the only surviving son and heir of the Revd. Philip 

 Budworth. He settled at Greenstead Hall in i8;4.*» 

 In 1867 he bought Lodge Farm from the representatives 

 of Mrs. Holbrook and thus became owner of all but a 

 small part of the land in the parish.'" He continued 

 to live at Greenstead Hall until his death in 1885" 

 and took an active part in local affairs.'^ He is com- 

 memorated by the Budworth Hall in Chipping Ongar. 

 His sons, or their representatives, were the main land- 

 owners in Greenstead in I926.'3 



Greenstead Hall is a large house of two stories with 

 attics. It is of timber-framing partly covered with a 

 later facing of red brick. As it exists today most of the 

 house dates from about 1700 when it was largely re- 

 built, probably by Alexander Cleeve. The date 1695 

 is carved on the east front and a sundial on the south 

 front bears the date 1698 and the initials a and mc 

 (Alexander and Mary Cleeve). There are, however, 

 timbers near the west end which appear to be older, 

 and in two places there is panelling of the early 17th 

 century. The report''' of an open hearth under the 

 centre of the present drawing-room on the south side 

 suggests that there was originally a medieval hall in this 

 position. A view from the east drawn about 1770 



shows the house as altered 70 years before.'' It was 

 then plastered and roughly square in shape but with 

 two projecting wings on the south side. The main 

 entrance front to the east had seven windows and a 

 central pediment. Part of the north side of the house 

 with a projecting bay no longer exists. This may have 

 been the dining-room which John Redman is said to 

 have demolished in the late i8th century in order to 

 curb the extravagant hospitality of his son.'* Redman 

 made many improvements to the house and its grounds, 

 including the existing timber-framed brick-fronted 

 stables." Large alterations were carried out in 1875 

 by P. J. Budworth.'^ The east front was largely re- 

 built, including the central pedimented feature in 

 moulded brickwork. The east and south fronts were 

 faced with red brick, and one of the south wings was 

 extended. The dates 1695 and 1698 were probably 

 recut at this time. Inside the house there are some good 

 pine chimney-pieces and panelling of about 1700 and 

 a fine staircase with twisted balusters and carved string 

 of the same period. This is very similar to work at 

 Hill Hall, Theydon Mount (q.v.). The present 

 occupier has made some interior alterations in the same 

 style. The detached 17th century-brewhouse was con- 

 verted into a cottage in 1950. 



There seems to be no reason to doubt the established 

 tradition that Greenstead church was built 

 CHURCH in the nth century to mark the place 

 where St. Edmund's body rested on its 

 way from London to Bury St. Edmund's in 1013. A 

 description of the event, written about 1 300, says that 

 the body was accommodated at Ongar and that 'a 

 wooden chapel built in his name remains until today'." 

 This is the only documentary evidence for the identi- 

 fication. Greenstead is a mile from Chipping Ongar, 

 but it is curious that the wooden church, which is 

 described in detail below, is dedicated not to St. 

 Edmund but to St. Andrew.*" 



Walter de Baskerville was patron of Greenstead in 

 about 1254-.*' William de la Hay held the advowson 

 in 1328—33 and it subsequently descended along with 

 the manor until the 17th century.*^ Richard Young 

 and Anne his wife presented Edward Young to the 

 rectory in 1617.'^ Anne had previously been the wife 

 of William Bourne (d. 1608), lord of the manor. Her 

 son John Bourne made a conveyance of the manor in 

 1625.*'' Thomas Spencer presented in 1641 pro hac 

 vice.^^ Presentation was made in 1646 by Katherine 

 Young, widow, and Robert Young her son, and in 

 1 66 1 by Katherine alone.** Nathan Lacy, rector 1661— 

 1700, married a second wife Mary.*' After his death 

 Mary Lacy, widow, presented.** Soon after this the 

 advowson was bought by Benjamin Pratt, curate of 



^' Budford, Memorials cf Greenstead- 

 Budivorth^ 9. 



'2 Ibid. 10. For a full list of the children 

 see ibid. 7. Repentance, which no longer 

 exists, was in the extreme south of the 

 parish on the road to Stanford Rivers. 



63 Ibid. 16; CP25(2)/ii24 East. 25 

 Geo. II. 



6< Budworth, op. cit. 17 ; CP25(z)/i3o8 

 Hil. 12 Geo. III. 



" Budworth, op. cit. 17. Ord was an 

 antiquary who collaborated with Gough, 

 Nichols, and others : see D.N.B. 



'* Budworth, op. cit. 17. " Ibid. 



'8 Ibid. 



>"> Ibid. 



'0 Ibid. 



" £.^.7". N.s. iii, 115. 



" See Chipping Ongar, Public Services. 



73 Kelly's Dir. Essex (1926), cf. Bud- 

 worth, op. cit. 26. From c. 1895 Green- 

 stead Hall was the residence of Howel 

 J. J. Price (d. 194.3). 



'♦ Inf. from Mrs. Tugendhat, the pre- 

 sent occupier. 



75 Hist. Essex by a Gent, iii, 378. 



" Budworth, op. cit. 20. 



" Ibid. 



'8 Cf. ibid. 26. 



" 'Apud Aungre hospitabatur vero ejus 

 nomine lignea capella constructa permanet 

 usque hodie' : B.M. Add. MS. 14.847 

 f. 20. 



80 It is of course possible that the dedica- 

 tion has been changed. It is interescing to 

 note that the church of Greenstead by 

 Colchester has the same dedication to St. 

 Andrew. 



60 



81 E.A,T, N.s. xviii, i8. 



82 Newcourt, Repert. ii, 289. 



83 Ibid. 



8* CP43/i69rot. 52. 



85 Newcourt, Repert. ii, 289. One 

 institution was missed by Newcourt, for 

 the rector who died in 164.1 was William 

 Young: cf. Par. Regs, Greenstead, ed. 

 F. A. Crisp, 32. 



86 Newcourt, Repert. ii, 289. 



87 Var. Regs. Greenstead, 8, 9. 



88 Newcourt, Repert. ii, 289. In 1689 

 and 1 69 1 conveyances of the advowson 

 were made by James Lacy, clerk, pre- 

 sumably the son of Nathan Lacy: CP43/ 

 4.24 rot. 205; ibid. 430 rot. 21 j J. and 

 J. A. Venn, Alumn i Cantabrigienses, pt. i, 

 >''. 33- 



