ONGAR HUNDRED 



HIGH LAVER 



HIGH LAVER 



High Laver is a parish about 4 miles north-west of 

 Chipping Ongar and 5 miles south-east of Harlow.' It 

 has an area of 1,895 acres.^ From the i8th century or 

 earlier much of the population has been concentrated 

 in the village of Matching Green and in the two 

 hamlets of Thrushesbush, alias Threshers Bush, and 

 Tilegate Green, all of which are situated on the 

 borders of the parish.^ There were 74 inhabited houses 

 in 1 801, 77 in 181 1, and 80 in 1821.'* In 1801 the 

 population was 346.5 B7 1 851 it had grown to 534.* 

 It was a little below this level until the last decade of 

 the century when there was a sharp decline to 386.^ 

 In the first half of the 20th century it rose gradually to 

 463 in 1951.* 



The land is nearly 300 ft. above sea-level in the 

 south-west, about 250 ft. in the north and 230 ft. in 

 the east. The Cripsey Brook runs eastward across the 

 northern part of the parish and then southward near 

 the eastern boundary of the parish towards Moreton. 

 The road from Ongar to Harlow enters the parish at 

 High Laver Bridge. The former rectory' is on the 

 north side of the road about \ mile from the bridge. 

 The road then turns northward for about \ mile to its 

 junction with the roads leading eastward to Little 

 Laver and northward to Matching Green. Along the 

 road to Little Laver is the church'" and to the north of 

 the church on the east side of the road to Matching 

 Green is High Laver Hall." Behind church and hall 

 is a windpump. About \ mile north of High Laver 

 Hall on the west side of the road to Matching Green 

 is High Laver Grange. This has a fine barn, in one 

 bay of which are two grotesque carved brackets of the 

 1 6th or early 17th century. About i mile north of 

 High Laver Grange is Newhouse Farm, formerly 

 Chalkpits, a timber-framed house which has been 

 much restored but of which part may date from the 

 17th century. On the east side of the road north of 

 Newhouse Farm there are thirteen council houses in 

 two groups known as Culvers Cottages and Chalkpit 

 Cottages. Beyond these is the village of Matching 

 Green, the south side of which is just inside the parish 

 boundary. Here there are several 19th-century brick 

 houses, including the Chequers Inn. 



From the east side of Matching Green a road runs 

 south-east to Waterman's End, Little Laver, and the 

 Rodings. On the west side of this road, immediately 

 to the south of the parish boundary, is the chapel of 

 ease'2 and, next to it. High Laver school. '^ Immediately 

 to the south of the school the road is joined by another 

 road leading south to Ongar. Near this junction on 

 the north side of the road to Little Laver there are four 

 pairs of council houses known as Hull Green Cottages. 



From High Laver church the Harlow road runs 

 west past Church Farm, formerly Whites, and Travel- 

 lers Joy, formerly Herberts. Both these houses are 

 timber- framed and may date from the 1 6th century; 

 they have been much restored. A little beyond Travel- 



lers Joy the Harlow road is joined by Faggoters Lane 

 which runs northward to Loyters Green. About \ mile 

 along Faggoters Lane is Faggoters Farm, a timber- 

 framed and roughcast house probably built in the i8th 

 century. By the east side of Faggoters Farm is a foot- 

 path leading to the site of Otes.'* On the Harlow road 

 to the west of Faggoters Lane is Mashams, a timber- 

 framed house which may date from the i6th century. 

 Beyond Mashams the road runs past Great Wilmores 

 and Spinneys, formerly Little Wilmores, to Tilegate 

 Green. At Spinneys, which stands on the north side of 

 the road about \ mile beyond Mashams, there are in- 

 dications of a former moat. Tilegate Farm, on the north 

 side of the road at Tilegate Green, may be of the i6th 

 century but has a later farm-house built in front of it, 

 the whole being much modernized; the restored barn 

 has 16th-century timbers. Opposite Tilegate Farm a 

 road leads southward to Magdalen Laver. There are 

 two pairs of council houses on the west side of this 

 road, which forms part of the southern boundary of the 

 parish. Also on the west side of the road and just within 

 the boundary are Magdalen Laver school," built in 

 1 862, and, next to it, a row of timber-framed cottages 

 called Melanese Cottages, of which part may date from 

 the 17th century or earlier. 



West of Tilegate Farm the Harlow road turns north- 

 west to Thrushesbush, alias Threshers Bush, on the 

 western boundary of the parish. At Herds Farm, on the 

 north side of the road \ mile north-west of Tilegate 

 Green, there are indications of a former moat. The 

 farm-house is probably of the 17th century and has an 

 original brick chimney. West of Herds Farm is the 

 John Barleycorn Inn, formerly the 'King's Arms', a 

 timber-framed house of which part dates from the 17th 

 century or earlier. The former Methodist chapel'* is 

 on the north side of the Harlow road at Thrushesbush, 

 just outside the parish boundary. 



High Laver Bridge was accepted as a county charge 

 by 1800." In 1858 it was described in detail by the 

 county surveyor.'* 



The inhabitants of High Laver were several times 

 indicted for the bad condition of their roads. In 1644 

 it was said that High Laver and Little Laver were to 

 share the responsibility for the highway from Matching 

 Green to Sheepcroft Bridge." In 1776 the parishes of 

 High Laver and Magdalen Laver agreed that 'the 

 roads which these two parishes are obliged in con- 

 junction to mend shall be equally divided and that 

 the part which lies nearest to each parish shall be ap- 

 propriated to it, by a post set up at the expense of both 

 parishes, and marked on one side "M.L. mends thus 

 far" and on the opposite side "H.L. mends thus far" '.^^ 



High Laver was one of the villages served from 

 Moreton when a postal receiving house was set up 

 there in 1846.^' A sub-post-office was opened at High 

 Laver in November 1936, following a petition from 

 the inhabitants.^^ 



' O.S. 2\ in. Map, sheets 52/40, 52/50, 



S^/5'- 



* Inf. from Essex County Council. 



3 Chapman and Andr^, Map of Essex 

 lyyy, plates xi and xii. 



•• Census, I 80 1, 181 1, 1821. 



5 y.C.H.Essex,u,T,$o. 



*■ Ibid. 



' Ibid. 



> Census, 191 if.; inf. from Essex 

 County Council. 



» See below, Church. 

 '0 Ibid. 



■' See below, Manor of High Laver. 

 ■a See below, Church. 

 " See below, School. 

 '* See below. 

 '5 See below, School. 



87 



16 See below, Nonconformity. 

 " E.R.O., 2/ABz I & 2. 

 '8 E.R.O., e/ABz, 3. 

 >9 E.R.O., e/SR 322/45. 

 " E.R.O., D/P 1 1 1/22. 

 2' P.M.G. Mins. 1846, vol. 87, p. 5. 

 " Inf. from Head Postmaster of Brent- 

 wood. 



