ONGAR HUNDRED 



HIGH LAYER 



Wright and others who still held it in 19 14.'* By 

 19 1 7 the estate was apparently not regarded as a 

 manor. '7 



There is no longer a house at Otes. The site, which 

 is partly moated, is clear except for a well shaft and two 

 large lime trees. South-west of the moated enclosure 

 are the remains of an orchard wall and of two out- 

 buildings. One of these buildings was constructed of 

 re-used timbers. South of the site a small stream has 

 been dammed, probably in the i8th century, to form 

 an ornamental lake with a weir at its outlet. 



In about 1770 Otes was said to be one of the only 

 two good houses in the parish: 'a large building, in a 

 delightful situation, with a park, gardens, canals etc.''* 

 A woodcu t of the house, pu blished in 1 8 2 1 , " shows on 

 the left hand a low three-gabled block, apparently 

 timber-framed and plastered. It was probably of 

 medieval origin, altered in the i6th or early 17th 

 century. There were slightly projecting oriel windows 

 and a two-storied porch with a pointed entrance arch. 

 Adjoining the old house to the right there were two 

 later additions. In front was a square three-story 

 block, probably of the Queen Anne period.^" Behind 

 this was a two-story wing in the picturesque style of 

 the late i8th century. In 1801 it was said that the 

 newer part of the house had been recently erected.^' 

 The building is said to have been demolished in 1822." 

 In 1835 it was described as 'completely destroyed'.^^ 

 Some outbuildings remained, however, for some time.^ 

 The last of them fell in 1952.^5 



The advowson of High Laver was held by the lords 

 of the capital manor until 1315.^' In that 

 CHURCH year Alcher son of Henry retained the 

 advowson when he granted the manor to 

 his son Henry and Henry's wife Beatrice." In 1331 

 and 1334 Alcher presented to the church.^* In 1337 

 he converted his interest in the advowson into a life 

 interest with remainder to Sir John de Shardelowe for 

 life and then to John, son of Sir John, in tail.^' In 1 366 

 William de Ferrers, probably Lord Ferrers of Groby 

 (d. 1 37 1), presented. 3" Later presentations were made 

 by John de Beston and others in 1398, by William, 

 Lord Ferrers of Groby (d. 1445), in 1400, and by 

 John Gwyne and others in 1426.2' By 1438 the 

 advowson again belonged to the lord of the capital 

 manor.32 It then descended with the manor until soon 

 after 1 662 when the manor passed to coheiresses, Sarah, 

 wife of Jacob Foster, and Martha, wife of Richard 

 Matthews." In 1683 Sarah and Jacob Foster, Martha 



and Richard Matthews, Samuel and Mary Lewin, and 

 Joseph Reeve conveyed the advowson to George Cole 

 and John Knapp.J'* In 17 10 George Cole presented 

 and in 1727 William Cheval.^s In 1729 the advowson 

 was held by the rector, Martin Hall, who in that year 

 sold it to Alexander Cleeve.3* After Hall's death in 

 1734 Alexander Cleeve presented his son John." Hall 

 had encumbered the hving with many debts.^' John 

 Cleeve devised the advowson to his nephew Thomas 

 Velley.39 In 1778, after Cleeve'sdeath, Thomas Velley 

 presented his brother-in-law Richard Budworth who 

 held the living until his death in i8o5.*<' Afterwards 

 Richard Budworth's trustees held the patronage until 

 his son Philip was old enough to become rector and 

 to hold the advowson.*' After Philip Budworth's death 

 in 1 86 1 the advowson was held by Captain Budworth, 

 grandson of Richard Budworth, until his death in 

 i885.'t2 It was then held by Captain Budworth's 

 trustees until after l9o6.*3 In 191 2 and 1 9 14 the 

 living was in the gift of Mrs. Heales.** By 1922 the 

 advowson was held by Canon R. D. Budworth who 

 retained it until his death in about I938.''s In 1940 

 and 194 1 it was held by the Revd.D. P. D. Budworth.** 

 Since 1942 it has been in the gift of the Bishop of 

 Chelmsford,*' and since 1945 has been united with 

 that of Magdalen Laver.*' 



In about 1254 and in 1295 the rectory was valued 

 at 16 marks.*' In 1428 the church was still taxed on 

 this valuation. In 1535 the rectory was valued at 

 £14 IJ-. 6d.^° In 1637 there were about 47 acres of 

 glebe. 5' In 1848 the tithes were commuted for ^^520; 

 there were then 63 acres of glebe. '^ 



In 1637 a terrier described the rectory as consisting 

 of 'a parsonage-house, a kitchen by itself, a barn, a 

 stable, and a hay-house, also an orchard, a garden-plat, 

 a little court-yard and a great outer yard'.sJ A separate 

 kitchen was a feature of the parsonages at all three 

 Lavers in the 17th century and was certainly a survival 

 from medieval times. No mention was made of a 

 separate kitchen in a terrier of 18 10 although the lath- 

 and-plaster house still existed then.'* Shortly before 

 he died in 1805 Richard Budworth had plans drawn 

 up for rebuilding the rectory. ss On his death, how- 

 ever, the plan was abandoned and it was not until 

 shortly after 1864 that the old parsonage was pulled 

 down and a new one built on nearly the same site.'* 

 The present building is a large red brick gabled house, 

 part of it of three stories. It ceased to be used as a 

 parsonage when the living was united with that of 



^''Kelly's Dir. Essex (1870 f.). For 

 Kelly's description of Otes Manor at this 

 period see above, n. 36. 



" Kelly's Dir. Essex (1917 f.). 



** Hisi. Essex ify Gent, iii, 346. 



"> Monthly Magazine, Iii; E.R.O., 

 Prints, High Laver. 



»o E.R. xvii, 212. 



" E.R.O., U/UEwT2. 



" E.R. xvii, 213. 



^3 T. Wright, Hist. Essex, ii, 346. 



2* E.R.O., D/P 111/27/1 & 2; O.S. 

 6 in. Map ( i st edn.), sheet xlii. 



2' Hist. To-day, iii, 543. 



^' Cal. hq. p.m. iv, p. 112; Feet of F. 

 Essex, ii, 1 56. 



" Feet ofF. Essex, ii, 156. 



^' Newcourt, i?ir^fr/. ii, 368. 



2' Feel of F. Essex, iii, 41. 



30 Newcourt, Repert. ii, 368. 



3" Ibid. " Ibid. " Ibid. 



M CP25(2)/655 Mich. 35 Chas. II. 



3' J. Bacon, Thesaurus, 615. 



36 P. J. Budworth, Memorials of Green- 

 sted-Budtvorth, Chipping Ongar, and High 

 Laver, 35-36. Budworth said that before 

 1729 there had been 'several changes of 

 patrons rapidly succeeding each other'. 



" Ibid. In J. Bacon, Thesaurus, 615, 

 however, there is a record that a year 

 before Alexander Cleeve presented in 

 1734, John Turvin presented. 



3' P. J. Budworth, Mems. of Greensted- 

 Bud-worth etc. -iS-l^- "Ibid. 



w Ibid. Budworth says that in 1777 

 Thomas Velley sold the advowson to 

 Richard Budworth who bought it in order 

 to present his son Richard, husband of 

 Thomas Velley's sister. According, how- 

 ever, to the Bishop of London's certificate 

 of institution (E331/41) Thomas Velley 

 presented to the living in 1778. What 

 probably happened was that Thomas 

 Velley presented his brother in law. 



41 P. J. Budworth, Mems. of Greensted- 

 Budiuorth etc. 36; Cler. Guide, liij t; 



93 



Clergy List, 1845 f- 



*^ P. J. Budworth, Mems. of Greensted- 

 Budivorth etc. j6 ; Clergy List, 1864. For 

 the Budworths see also Greenstcad. 



*3 Kelly's Dir. Essex (1890, 1902, 1906), 



♦* Ibid. (1912, 1914). 



*5 Ibid. (1922, 1926, 1929, 1933) 

 Chel. Dioc. Tear Bk. 1938. 



*<• Chel. Dioc. Tear Bk. 1940, 1941. 



*' Ibid. 1942 f. 



*8 Crockford's Cler. Dir. (195 1-2); inf. 

 from the Revd. W. D. Topping. 



*» Lunt, Val. of Nortvich, 337; Tax. 

 Eccl. (Rec. Com.), 21. 



50 ralor Eccl. (Rec. Com.), i, 437. 



S' Newcourt, Repert. ii, 368. 



" E.R.O., D/P 1 1 1/27/2. Tithes of the 

 glebe were not included in the j^520. 



53 Newcourt, Repert. ii, 368. 



5* E.R.O., D/P 111/3/2. 



55 P. J. Budvvorth, Mems. ofGreensted- 

 Bud-uiorth etc. 36. 



56 Ibid. 



