ONGAR HUNDRED 



KELVEDON HATCH 



proportions but the central bay projects slightly and 

 is surmounted by a pediment. The porch, which is 

 supported on columns with fluted capitals, has an en- 

 riched entablature of about 1780. The single-story 

 flanking wings were probably added or modified at the 

 same period; the north wing contained the kitchens 

 and the south wing a private Roman Catholic chapel 

 dedicated to St. Joseph.* 



Internally the best examples of the original mid- 

 i8th-century rococo decoration occur in the entrance 

 and staircase halls and in one of the bedrooms. The 

 staircase has a balustrade of wrought-iron scrollwork 

 and the walls have elaborate plasterwork panels in 

 which are trophies representing War, Music, and the 

 Chase. The drawing-room, dining-room, and music 

 room were all redecorated in the 'Adam' style of about 

 1780. The drawing-room has an enriched ceiling and 

 the dining-room a circular medallion above the 

 chimney-piece. Both rooms have good fire-places. The 

 former chapel is of about the same period: on the 

 curved end wall is an arched recess for the altar, 

 flanked by Ionic columns and having a dove in plaster 

 relief above it. The side walls are divided into panels 

 by Ionic pilasters and the segmental ceiling has plaster 

 enrichments. The chapel was restored by Sir John 

 Oakley during the occupation of the Hall by St. 

 Michael's School. ^ The red-brick stable block and the 

 orangery probably date from the late i8th century. 



The manor of GERMAINS derived its name from 

 a family which probably held it in the 14th and 15 th 

 centuries. It is possibly to be identified with the estate 

 which in 1281 was held of Denise de Munchensy by 

 Thomas son of Lambert de Multon, lord of the manor 

 of Kelvedon Hatch.'' If this identification is correct it 

 suggests there was a connexion, in 1086 or later, be- 

 tween Germains and the manor of Theydon Garnon 

 (q.V.). 



In the 15th century Germains was held of the 

 manor of Kelvedon Hatch.' It is not clear when the 

 Germain family became the tenants. A Roger Germain 

 was a witness to a deed of 1355 relating to land in 

 Kelvedon Hatch and other parishes.* In 1 368 a William 

 Germain was witness at a proof of age taken at Nave- 

 stock. He then had a son and heir Gilljert.' In 1398 

 another William Germain of Kelvedon Hatch had 

 royal letters of protection when going on service to 

 France; the letters were revoked because he failed to 

 go.* In 142 1-2 he was one of the commissioners 

 appointed to collect a tenth and fifteenth in Essex.' It 

 was possibly this WiUiam Germain who before 145^ 

 made a bequest to Navestock church (q.v.). 



In 1444 Henry Chaderton died holding the manor 

 of Germains and was succeeded by his son Henry.'" 

 The manor subsequently passed to Sir Humphrey 

 Starkey, lord of Slades in Navestock (q.v.). He died in 

 i486 and Germains then descended along with Slades 

 until 1604. In 1604 Sir Thomas Joscelin sold Ger- 

 mains to John Wright, lord of Kelvedon Hatch, and 

 it subsequently descended with that manor." In 1838 

 Germain's Farm consisted of 242 acres and the tenant 



was John Thomas.'* It now belongs to the Iveagh 

 trustees.'^ 



The farm-house is timber-framed and plastered and 

 probably xlates from the early i6th century. It consists 

 of a central block with gabled cross-wings to east and 

 west. The wings are of two stories and each has three 

 bays. On both floors the stop-chamfered tie-beams 

 dividing the bays are visible and in several cases the 

 small curved braces below them are also in position. A 

 four-centred door-head has been exposed in an upper 

 room in the west wing. The timbering is not visible in 

 the central block so that it is not possible to establish 

 whether this part of the house has an earlier origin than 

 the i6th century. There are indications that two large 

 Tudor fire-places have been bricked up. The doorways 

 and sash windows of the house were probably inserted 

 in the i8th century. 



The manor oiMTLES'S alias GREAT MTLES'S 

 derived its name from Miles de Munteny (see below). 

 In the 1 6th century it was said to be held of the Dean 

 and Chapter of St. Paul's, and later of the Walde- 

 graves, as of their manor of Navestock.'^ No earlier 

 statement of this tenure has been found and the 16th- 

 century statements cannot be regarded as certain 

 evidence of earlier tenure, but it is possible that Myles's 

 was identical with an estate in Navestock and Kelvedon 

 Hatch held in the 12th and early 13th century by the 

 Marcy family. Before 1 1 20 the Marcys agreed to pay 

 rent for their Navestock estate (q.v.) to the Dean and 

 Chapter of St. Paul's, and they still held that estate of 

 St. Paul's in 1222. The estate which Ralph de Marcy 

 held in Kelvedon Hatch (see above) in 1086 probably 

 came to be considered part of the Navestock estate in 

 the 1 2th century, and later of Myles's. 



In the 1 3th century the manor was held by Nicholas 

 le Convers.'s He conveyed it to Roger le Convers who 

 no doubt added to it 85 acres which he acquired in 

 1 261 from Henry Belret.'* The manor later passed to 

 Roger son of Roger le Convers who in 1 3 1 8 released 

 his rights in it to Miles de Munteny and his wife 

 Agnes." Miles was still alive in 1336.'* In 1355 the 

 estate was granted by John Munteny to Richard de 

 Salyng of London." The Muntenys seem, however, 

 to have retained some interest, for in 1378 Thomas de 

 Munteny released all his rights in the estate to Richard 

 de Salyng.*" Richard was still alive in 1398.*' 



In 141 2 Myles's was held by Edmund Prior of Bois 

 Hall in Navestock (q.v.) and it descended with that 

 manor until 1 566. 



In 1566 Myles's was bought by Thomas Luther 

 who was still alive in 1585.** Richard Luther was son 

 and heir of Thomas.*^ From about 1 587 to 1627, how- 

 ever, the manor was apparently shared between 

 Richard and his brother Anthony Luther.*'' Accord- 

 ing to an epitaph quoted by Morant, Richard and 

 Anthony were 'so truely loveing brothers that they lived • 

 neare fortie years joynt housekeepers together at Miles 

 without anie accompt between them'.*' Anthony died 

 in 1627 leaving his share of the estate to Richard.** 

 Richard died in 1638 leaving as his heir his son 



* For the chapel see below, Roman 

 Catholicism. 



3 Kelly's Dir. Essex (ig-^-j). 



'♦ Feet of F, Essex, ii, 32. 



5 C139/120. 



' Cal. Close, 1354-60, 623. 



' Cal. Inq. p.m. xii, 165. 



' Cal. Fat. 1396-9, 430. 



« Cal. Fine R. 1413-22, 

 1422-30, 8. 



4' 



8; ibid. 



'" C139/120. 



I" E.A.S. Docs. Kelvedon Hatch 13. 



12 E.R.O., D/CT 197. 



'3 Inf. from the tenant, Mr. Cooke. 



■« C142/20/98; C142/134/141. 



I! Cal. Close, 1313-18, 597. 



«■ Ibid. ; Feet of F. Essex, \, 255. 



'^ Cal. Close, 1 313-18, 597. 



■8 E.R.O., D/DFa T33/31. 



'9 Cal. Close, 1354-60, 623. For the 



67 



Muntenys and Salyngs see Littlebury in 

 Stanford Rivers. 



2» Cal. Close, 1377-81, 321. 



2' Cal Fine R. 1391-9,258. 



" E.R.O., D/DFa E43/9. 



" Ibid.; risit. of Essex 1664-8, 63. 



" E.A.T. N.s. xii, no; E.R.O., D/DFi 

 E43/9. 



25 Morant, Essex^ i, i86. 



26 E.A.T. N.s. xii, no. 



