ONGAR HUNDRED 



MAGDALEN LAYER 



in 1708, when it was agreed that a cottage should be 

 leased for the use of the parish," and in 171 3, when it 

 was resolved that no officer should relieve a passenger 

 on a pass with parish money." Occasionally there were 

 resolutions on matters relating to poor relief. Generally, 

 however, the officers seem to have been allowed to 

 act without guidance or interference from the vestry. 



From 1667 until 1686 one churchwarden, one over- 

 seer, two constables, and two surveyors of highways 

 were nominated annually at Easter. From 1686 until 

 i6go only one surveyor was nominated each year but 

 from 1 69 1 two were nominated annually at Christmas. 

 From 1706 only one constable was nominated. From 

 1732 two names appear 'in nomination for overseer' 

 but it seems that only one acted. There continued to 

 be only one churchwarden. A paid church clerk ap- 

 pears first in 1 73 1 when the churchwarden accounted 

 for ;^l paid to him as his annual salary. In 1797 the 

 clerk was receiving ^2 a year. His status may be 

 deduced from the payment in September 1778 of is. 

 to 'the Clark for Cleaning the Churchyard'. 



The surveyors do not appear to have levied a separate 

 rate but each of the other officers did so until at least 

 1766. The proceeds of an officer's rates were, however, 

 indiscriminately applied in settlement of other officers' 

 accounts.*" The surveyors' small disbursements of 

 5/.- 10/. a year were always paid by another officer. 

 Sometimes officers' own personal money was used to 

 provide the working funds of the parish. This occurred 

 for example in the case of the churchwarden during the 

 period 17 13-15. No churchwarden's rate was levied 

 in 1713 or in 1714. At the end of 171 3 the parish 

 owed the churchwarden £4 <)s. 3a'.; during the follow- 

 ing year the debt rose to £j 14J. 6d. Not until 171 5 

 was a rate levied to raise £% 5/. dJ. in partial settlement 

 of his account. 



In 1682 a iJ. rate produced ;^5 I2.r. \ii. Later, only 

 the total product of rates was recorded. From at least 

 1680 a regular, and unexplained, source of income for 

 the churchwardens was 'money for the fair', always 

 6s. iJ. a year; it was last received in 173 1. 



There was a parish house in Magdalen Laver from 

 at least 1708. In October of that year the vestry 

 resolved to take a lease of a cottage, yard, and orchard 

 called Maggots for the use of the parishioners for 2 1 

 years at a rent of £,z c,s. a year. The lessor, William 

 Cole, lord of the manor, covenanted to do certain 

 repairs. The vestry which met in October 17 14 

 acknowledged the receipt of £5 from him in discharge 

 of this obligation which, it was stated, he had been 

 unable to perform since the cottage was occupied by 

 'several pensioners of the parish'. At the date of the 

 meeting the cottage was empty. The preceding Easter 

 vestry had resolved to have a chimney built and to have 

 an oven inserted and a new floor made 'in the same 

 room'. In September 17 16 Francis Bowtell was 

 instructed to come to the 'little end' of the parish house 

 and Goodman Harrod to remain in the other end. In 

 March 1 7 1 7 it was agreed that Goodman Storey and 

 his family should be removed into the house. 



In most cases poor relief was given, in various forms. 



outside the parish house. In each of the years 1813-15 

 there were 16-19 adults on 'permanent' outdoor 

 relief*' Provision for the poor was made in various 

 ways including the payment of rents and the provision 

 of wood, food, clothing, and medicine. All these forms 

 of relief were used in the first years of the period 

 (1670-1764) for which accounts have survived. At 

 a vestry held in October 1692 it was agreed that the 

 overseer should have full power 'to dispose and order 

 all things necessary and convenient for the poore as 

 hee in his prudence shall think fitt'. In March 1693, 

 however, a vestry meeting agreed that the same over- 

 seer should 'dispose of the goods of the widow King 

 for the use of the parish and remove Shipton into her 

 house and pay 40/. to Mrs. Wankford for Shipton's 

 rent and do all other things for the good of the poor 

 and the parish as shall seem expedient'. In the follow- 

 ing September it was agreed that the overseer should 

 have 'full power to provide a house in this parish or 

 elsewhere for Richard Benton or so to agree with his 

 landlord that he may continue where he now is'. One 

 common form of parish relief, the weekly dole, was 

 mentioned in the parish book only once, in December 

 1693, when the vestry resolved that a man should have 

 a 'collection' of \s. 6d., but the use of the common 

 word on this occasion suggests that it was well known 

 to the parish. 



In 1 6 14 the cost of poor relief was 48/. ^^ Late in 

 the 17th century and early in the i8th century the cost 

 was in most years between ^^13 and ^22. It rose con- 

 siderably during the second quarter of the 1 8th century 

 and in the third quarter was usually above ^60. In 

 1776 it reached ^ioi.'3 At the beginning of the 19th 

 century there was a maximum of ^595 in 1801— 2 and 

 the cost did not again fall below £p.zi> in the period 

 before i8i7.*'t 



In 1836 Magdalen Laver became part of Epping 

 Poor Law Union. 



In 1807 there was no school in the parish; it was 

 reported that the population was too poor 

 SCHOOL to support one.ss By 1818 a school had 

 been established, in which 13 children 

 were being taught by a dame.** This school, or one 

 that replaced it, became united with the National 

 Society in about 1820 and apparently continued under 

 church guidance at least until 1846-7. The number of 

 pupils was 27 in 1828, 25 in 1832, and 30 in 1846-7, 

 the girls outnumbering the boys. In 1 846-7 the mistress 

 was paid £j los. a year.*^ 



In 1862 a permanent school was built on land given 

 by Anna Maria Meyer. The trust deed appointed the 

 rector and churchwarden as managers. The building 

 could accommodate 60 pupils and had a teacher's 

 residence attached.** The school was endowed with 

 j^999 raised in subscriptions from the congregation of 

 St. George's Chapel, Albemarle St. (Lond.) by W. W- 

 Ellis, then minister of the chapel, and presented to 

 Magdalen Laver, of which he was then rector, in 

 1872.*' The money was invested.'" Average atten; 

 dance rose from 39 in 1886 to 45 in 1899, despite the 

 falling population." In 1904 there were 47 children 



'^ Sec below. 



'» Despite this resolution the constables 

 frequently relieved 'passengers' as was 

 their statutory duty. 



"> As in 17 1 5 when the constable and 

 overseer paid the churchwarden and in 

 1725 when the constable paid the church- 

 warden. 



81 E.R.O., g/CR i/io. 



82 E.R.O., Q/SBa 3. 



83 E.R.O., Q/CR i/i. 



84 E.R.O., e/CR 1/9. 



85 E.R.O., D/AEM 2/4. 



86 Retm. Educ. Poor, H.C. 224, p. 260 

 (1819), ix(i). 



87 Nat. Soc. Rep. 1820, 1828, 1832; 



109 



Nat. Soc. Enquiry' into Church Schs. 

 1846-7, pp. 12-13. 



88 Min. of Educ. File 13/196. 



89 Kelly's Dir. Essex (1899). <"> Ibid. 

 9' Rep. of Educ. Cttee. of Council, 1886 



[C. 5 1 23-1], p. 520, H.C. (1887), xxviii; 

 Retn.ofSchs. 1899 [Cd. 315], p. 71, H.C. 

 (1900), Ixv (2). 



