A HISTORY OF ESSEX 



Abbots, Archer Houblon, owner of Bobbingworth 

 Hall, the rector and Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, 

 the patron of the living.'' The school was situated on 

 the west side of Hoe Lane at Abridge.*" It seems to 

 have been a National School and for some years to have 

 remained closely connected with the Sunday school. In 

 1846-7 there were 68 pupils under a master and two 

 mistresses who between them received j^6o a year and 

 had the use of a house rent-free.*' Attendance declined 

 slightly in subsequent years. In 185 1-2 there were 62 

 children present when the inspector visited the 'neat 

 schoolrooms'. He found the equipment poor, the 

 master untrained, the educational standard low, but the 

 children 'nice and well-behaved'.*^ In 1859 an in- 

 spector found a slight improvement in standard but 

 only 52 children in attendance.*-! In 1871, when there 

 was said to be accommodation for 62 children, the 

 attendance was still about 52.*'' At this time the school 

 was in financial difficulty and soon after (probably in 

 1878) it was discontinued as the result of the building 

 of a Board School. 



In 1874 a school board of five members was set up 

 for Lambourne and Stapleford Abbots (q.v.) which had 

 been united into a single school district according to the 

 recommendation of the Education Department. *5 The 

 first plans submitted by the board were rejected by the 

 Education Department as too expensive, but after this 

 delay the board school was opened in September 1878, 

 on or near the site of the former National School.** It 

 had accommodation for about 1 50 pupils and a teacher's 

 house was attached.*' Within a few years it was re- 

 ceiving an annual grant, amounting to ^^72 in 1886, 

 £10^ in 1893, and ;^I30 in 1902. The average atten- 

 dance rose from 104 in 1886 to 120 in 1893 and 125 

 in 1902.** By 1904, when the accommodation was 

 said to be for 178, there were 141 children under 4 

 teachers and a monitress.*' 



By the Education Act of 1902 the school passed 

 under the administration of the Essex Education Com- 

 mittee, Ongar District. Its average attendance was 1 27 

 in 191 5 and 130 in 1938. In 19 14 it was enlarged to 

 accommodate 196 and in 1936 2 acres were added to 

 the site. In 1947 it was reorganized for mixed juniors 

 and infants.'" In May 1952 there were ^ teachers and 

 106 children." The school is a single-storied building 

 of brown and red brick, with teacher's house attached. 



There was a private school at Abridge in 1845, kept 

 by Mrs. Sarah Giles.'^ 



Thomas Barfoot of Lambourne Hall, by will proved 

 1592, left 6s. SJ. a year charged on 

 CHARITIES Sym's Croft for the relief of the poor 

 of the parish.'^ The charge was paid 

 regularly until 1661, and after 1664 payment was re- 

 sumed.7'' In 173 1 the money was being distributed to 

 those of the poor who were not receiving any weekly 

 allowance.'' In 1834 it was believed that the charge 

 should be spent on bell-ropes, although in fact it was 

 paid into the churchwardens' general account.'* In 

 1947-9 it was distributed in money to buy 

 coal." 



John Broomfield, by will dated 1687, left los. issuing 

 from his farm of Pryors for the poor of the parish.'* 

 The rent charge was redeemed in 1950 for ;^20 which 

 was invested. The rent was being paid from 1689 on- 

 wards" and was distributed to the poor on i January.*" 

 In 1834 it was carried to the churchwardens' general 

 account, although it was said to be spent on bread for 

 the poor.*' It was spent on general church purposes in 

 the mid-l9th century and for some years before 1950, 

 but from 1950 it has been distributed in money to buy 

 coal.*^ 



The parish owned two pieces of land in the common 

 meadow of Theydon Bois (q.v.). The income from 

 them rose from 35/. in 1673 to £^ in 1 834.83 It was 

 spent on the church and the poor in the 1 8th century** 

 and was carried to the churchwardens' account in 

 1834.*' In 1950 it was distributed in money to buy 

 coal.** 



The parish also owmed property at Lambourne End, 

 on which a house was built by the parish in about 

 167 1.*' The house was enlarged in about 18 10.** 

 Until then it had been rented, sometimes to the parish 

 clerk,*' but from then until 1 836 it was used as a poor- 

 house.'" From 1838 it was once again rented and the 

 income was applied to general church purposes," as the 

 rent of the land had been in 1834.'^ In 1950 the total 

 rents were ,^34 2S. 61^. which were spent on church re- 

 pairs and improvement.'^ Church House has a tall 

 front with a mansard roof and dormer windows. The 

 lower cottage attached to it at the rear is probably the 

 Old Church House of about 1671. 



The parish formerly owned cottages near the river 

 next to Hull Mead at Abridge. In 173 1 they were said 

 to be for the use of the poor.''* They, were sold in 1830 

 to clear the debt incurred in rebuilding the Church 

 House in 18 10. 



59 Ex. Inf. Nat. Soc; E.R.O., D/DLo z 

 i; ibid. D/P 181/8/4.; Lady Mildmay 

 owned about zoo acres of land in the east 

 of the parish: E.R.O., D/CT 202. 



'" O.S. 6 in. Map (ist edn.), sheet Iviii 

 (1870-2). 



^' Nat. Soc. Enquiry inio Church Schs. 

 1846-7, pp. lO-II. 



'2 Mins. Educ. Cttee. of Council, 1851, 

 vol. ii [1480], p. 286, H.C. (1852), xli. 



*3 Educ. Cttee. of Council, Reps, on Schs. 

 in Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex, 1858-9, 

 p. 44. (in Min. of Educ. Libr,). 



'* Retns. Elem. Educ, H.C. 201, pp. 

 I12-13 [1871], Iv; E.R.O., D/AEM 2/8. 



^5 Chelmsford Chronicle, 9 Aug. 1872. 



" Min. of Educ. File 13/219. 



" Kelly's Dir. Essex (1899). 



" Rep. of Educ. Cttee. of Council, 1SS6 

 [C. 5123-1], p. 519, H.C. (1887), xxviii; 

 Retn. of Schs. 1893 [C. 7529], p. 714, 

 H.C. (1894), Ixv; Schs. under Bd. of Educ. 

 igo2 [Cd. 1490], p. 71, H.C. (1903), li. 



<"> Essex Educ. Cttee. Handbk. 1904, 

 p. .85. 



'" Min. of Educ. File 13/219. 



71 Ex. Inf. Essex Educ. Cttee. 



'2 Kelly's Dir. Essex (1845). 



'3 E.R.O., D/P 181/8/1; Rep. Com. 

 Char. (Essex), H.C. 216, p. 230 (1835), 

 xxi (i). 



74 E.R.O., D/P 181/8/1. 



'5 Ibid. 18 1/8/2. 



'* Rep. Com. Char. (Essex), p. 230. 



" Char. Com. files. 



78 E.R.O., D/P 181/8/1, 2. See above. 



'9 Ibid. 

 (Essex), p. 



Pryors. 



80 Rep. Com. Char. 

 E.R.O., D/P 181/8/1. 



8' Rep. Com. Char. (Essex), p. 230. 



82 Char. Com. files. 



83 E.R.O., D/P 181/8/1. 

 8« Ibid. 181/8/2. 

 8s Rep. Com. Char. (Essex), p. 



86 Char. Com. files. 



87 E.R.O., D/P 181/8/1-2. 



88 Ibid. 181/8/4(1810). 



89 Ibid. 181/8/1. 

 9» Ibid. 181/8/4. 

 9' Ibid. 181/8/3. 



92 Rep. Com. Char. 

 E.R.O., D/P 181/8/3. 



93 Char. Com. files. 

 9< E.R.O., D/P 1 8 1/8/2. 



230; 



230. 



(Essex), p. 230; 



86 



