A HISTORY OF ESSEX 



Anthony, a barrister of the Middle Temple and J. P. 

 for Essex.^' Anthony was succeeded on his death in 

 1665 by his son Richard.^* Richard died before 1691, 

 leaving Myles's to his son and heir Edward Luther, 

 who was Sheriff of Essex in 1701.29 In 1729 Edward 

 settled the manor on his son Richard when the latter 

 married Charlotte Chamberlain. The estate then con- 

 sisted of 250 acres in Kelvedon Hatch, Stondon 

 Massey, and High Ongar.'" Through his mother 

 Richard also inherited the considerable property of the 

 Dawtreys of Doddinghurst Place. He died in 1767.3' 

 His son and heir was John Luther, knight of the shire 

 for Essex 1763-84, who died without issue in 1786. 

 Myles's then passed to Francis Fane, younger son of 

 Charlotte, sister of John Luther and wife of Henry 

 Fane of Wormsley (Oxon.).^^ F'rancis died in 18 13, 

 leaving as his heir his elder brother John.33 Myles's 

 subsequently descended in the Fane family .34 In 1838 

 the estate comprised 417 acres in Kelvedon Hatch of 

 which some 200 acres belonged to Little Myles's 

 Farm in Stondon Massey, 32 acres to Great Myles's, 

 93 acres to Clap Gates, and 3 1 acres to Priors Farm. '5 

 In 1 849 the Stondon Massey part of the Fane estate 

 comprised 128 acres, of which 52 acres belonged to 

 Little Myles's and 76 acres to Clap Gates Farm.^* The 

 mansion house of Myles's had by this time been 

 demolished (see below). Its site was sold in 1943 by 

 John Luther Fane to the present owner, Mr. Parrish.s' 



A diagrammatic sketch of an early house at Great 

 Myles's appears on an estate map of about 1700.3* It 

 shows a long red brick front of two stories with dormers 

 in the roof and projecting wings at either end. Shell 

 hoods are drawn above the doorways and the windows 

 have lattice panes. It was probably built during the 

 second half of the 17th century. 



Before he gave up the estate to his son in 1762 

 Richard Luther is said to have 'much enlarged and 

 beautified the house'. 3' The result was the imposing 

 Georgian mansion which occupied the site until its 

 demolition in the 19th century. A sale notice of about 

 1830 shows two many-windowed fronts facing south- 

 west and south-east.'"' The tradition that there was a 

 window for each day of the year'" is probably an 

 exaggeration, but there were at least 16 rooms on the 

 bedroom floor with garrets above for the domestic 

 stafF.42 Jn 1 770-1 a tributary of the Roding was 

 dammed to form a long expanse of water in front of 

 the house. The cost was ^(^600 and the graceful brick 

 bridge which still spans the lake was built for an addi- 

 tional ^^250.43 These improvements were designed for 

 John Luther by Richard Woods, who later replanned 

 the gardens at Brizes (see above, p. 64). After John 

 Luther's death in 1786 the house was let furnished to 

 Francis Ford and later to a Dr. Chandler.''^ Attempts 

 to sell it early in the 19th century were apparently un- 



successful and in 1837 it was demolished at the wish 

 of John Fane's widow.^s A small red-brick range, 

 probably part of a service wing, remains standing and 

 has been converted into a residence. The fine stable 

 block, advertised about 1830 as capable of accom- 

 modating 22 horses,** is also in existence. 



The advowson of Kelvedon Hatch descended with 

 the manor until the 19th century. John 

 CHURCH Wright presented to the rectory in 160J.*'' 

 His successors as lords of the manor were 

 Roman Catholics. As such they were disqualified by 

 law from presenting, and their rights of patronage 

 vested in the Chancellor of Cambridge University.** 

 It is not clear how far the law was observed in this case. 

 There was at least one presentation (1760) by the 

 Chancellor of Cambridge. Other presentations in the 

 17th and 1 8th centuries were made by various persons 

 who had perhaps bought the right pro hac vice.^'> By 

 1848 the advowson was held by W. H. Ashpitel.s" 

 Owing to the long incumbency of the then rector, 

 John Bannister (1833-70) he did not live to exercise 

 it. It passed to his son and was sold in 1864 to E. 

 Slocock.51 From him it descended to his son the Revd. 

 Samuel Slocock who presented himself in 1870 and 

 remained rector until 1889.'^ The advowson was then 

 sold to E. W. Puxon of Croydon (Surr.).53 After his 

 death in 1 896 it remained in the hands of his trustees 

 for some years. ^^ He had presented his son-in-law, 

 D. W. Peregrine, in 1889,^^ and the advowson had by 

 1912 come to Mrs. C. M. Peregrine. ^^ She gave it in 

 1928 to the Revd. William Tirrell who has been rector 

 and patron ever since. ^' 



The rectory of Kelvedon Hatch was valued at 6 

 marks in about 1254. It was then stated that the rector 

 of the church of (Magdalen) Laver received part of 

 the tithe from the demesne of Gilbert de Breaute and 

 Ralph de Asevile.ss The value of the rectory was 

 stated to be 10 marks in 1291 and j^i2 in 1535.5" In 

 1838 the tithes were commuted for ;£438; there were 

 then 28 acres of glebe.*" 



A terrier of 16 10 mentions a rectory house of two 

 stories, part newly built, 'with several rooms in it both 

 above and below'.*' The north end of the old rectory 

 (now Kelvedon Grange), consisting of a gabled cross- 

 wing and part of the central block, may well be the 

 'newly built house' referred to in the terrier. There is 

 a massive stop-chamfered beam in the present kitchen 

 and the principal chimney has grouped diagonal shafts. 

 Early in the i8th century the south end of the central 

 block was rebuilt and the roof level raised. The ground- 

 floor hall retains sash windows of this date with wide 

 glazing bars. Further alterations were probably made 

 about 1800. During the incumbency of the Revd. 

 D. W. Peregrine at the end of the 19th century the 

 house was enlarged and altered at a cost of about 



" C142/724/1S. 



" E.R.O., D/DFa E43/9; ibid. Q/RTh 



5- 



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

 Repert. ii, 545. 



3» E.R.O., D/DFa E4.2/2, D/DFa F6. 



3' Reeve, Stondon Massey, '^Si Gents. 

 Mag. xxxviii, 47. 



31 E.R.O., Q/RPl 685-717; D/DFa 

 E45/22-23; Burlte, Land. Gct/. (1871), 

 i, 417. Henry was a younger brother of 

 Thomas, Earl of Westmorland. 



33 E.R.O., D/DFa E45/22, 23, 26; 



C/RPl7'7-'8- 

 3« Burke, Land. Gent. (1855), 366. 

 3S E.R.O., D/CT 197. 



36 E.R.O., D/CT 337. 



37 Inf. from Capt. F. L. Fane. 

 '8 E.R.O., D/DFa Pi. 



39 Morant, Hist. Essex, i, 187. 

 4° E.R.O., D/DFa E33. 

 ♦' E.A.T. N.s. xii, 111-12. 

 « E.R.O., D/DFa E43/1. 

 « E.R.O., D/DFa E43/32. 



44 Ibid. E43/1, 5. 



45 Inf. from Capt. F. L. Fane of Priors. 

 4' E.R.O., D/DFa E33. 



47 Newcourt, Repert, ii, 351—2. 



48 Popish Recusants Act 3 & 4 Jas. I, 

 C.5 {1606). 



49 Newcourt, Repert. ii, 352; Morant, 

 Essex, i, 187. 



68 



so White's Dir. Essex (1848), 420. 

 5' Clergy List (iMe,), 119. 



52 Kelly's Dir. Essex (1870); Crockford's 

 Cler.Dir. 1870-89. 



53 Kelly's Dir. Essex (1890). 



54 Ibid. 1899, 1906. 



ii Ibid. 1890; inf. from Mr. J. W. B. 

 Jones. 



56 Kelly's Dir. Essex (19 12). 



57 Inf. from the Revd. Wm. Tirrell. 



58 E.A.T. N.s. xviii, 18. 



59 Tax. Eccl. (Rec. Com.), zii; Val. 

 Eccl. (Rec. Com.), i, 43 7*. 



<"> E.R.O., D/CT 197. 



" Newcourt, Repert. ii, 351. 



