A HISTORY OF ESSEX 



1884 to 1889." About the same time Anglican mission 

 services were being held by Mrs. John Pelly in a room 

 over the coach house at Goldings Hill House. These 

 services vi'ere primarily for poor people who might 

 have hesitated to attend a regular place of worship 

 owing to lack of suitable clothes. About 1887 Mrs. 

 Pelly left Loughton and her congregation transferred 

 to the Englands Lane chapel. In 1889 J. H. Tee and 

 his associates erected the present iron church at the 

 corner of Englands Lane and Goldings Hill. The 

 trust deeds of the new church made strict provision 

 that the Goldings Hill Mission should be undenomina- 

 tional in character. Tee remained superintendent of 

 the mission until his death in 1909. He has had 

 several successors, of whom Mr. E. S. Currey (c. 

 1925-40) was superintendent for the longest period. 



Other nonconformist places of worship are the 

 Forest Mission Hall, High Beech Road, belonging to 

 the Plymouth Brethren and the Lincoln Hall, built in 

 19 1 2 and presented to the Loughton Brotherhood by 

 Henry Lincoln.^" A Congregational church is now 

 (1953) being built in Borders Lane, Debden, with sup- 

 port from the Loughton Union Church.^' 



The earliest surviving court roll of the manor of 



Loughton is for 1 270." 



PARISH GOFERNMENT The next is for 1400, 



AND POOR RELIEF and there are later rolls 



recording the proceed- 

 ings of courts held on eleven occasions in the period 

 1404-69.^3 There are rolls for 1 5 1 1, 1538, 1585, and 

 1593.^ A roll for the period 1 570-1602 was used as 

 evidence in connexion with the Epping Forest Com- 

 mission in the 1870's but could not be found in 

 1894-5.25 Rolls and court books for 1609-1865 

 existed in the 1890's when full abstracts from them 

 were made by W. C. Waller.^s So far as it relates to 

 the period after 1609 the present survey is based upon 

 these abstracts, not the original roUs.^^ 



The medieval rolls contain nothing unusual in con- 

 nexion with local government. They note the appoint- 

 ment of manorial officials, the regulation of minor 

 nuisances such as foul ditches and of the descent of 

 copyhold tenements. There are also a few entries 

 relating to petty civil suits.^* 



Although few rolls have survived for the i6th 

 century there is evidence that courts were held regularly 

 (perhaps once a year) after the manor had passed to the 

 Crown.29 The series that began in 1609 was ap- 

 parently complete apart from some gaps in the period 

 1609-59. Courts leet were usually held once a year 

 until about 1780, when they became less frequent. 

 The last was held in 1828. The court retained its 

 vitality for much longer than in many places. The 

 reason was probably the survival of Epping Forest. 

 The main business of the court during its last 300 

 years was to administer the customs relating to the 

 lopping rights of the tenants. The conditions under 

 which these rights of estover were exercised were 



frequently restated in the court. The rights were 

 traditionally limited to those holding ancient tene- 

 ments. Lopping was permitted only between i 

 November and 23 April and might be done only on 

 Mondays.30 The wood had to be removed on sledges, 

 wheeled carts being forbidden, and no lopper might 

 employ more than two horses to draw his sledge. As 

 late as 1828 there were presentments for cutting wood 

 on days other than Mondays, and for using wheeled 

 carts. Encroachments on the waste of the manor (often 

 the forest) were presented at the leet. Usually they 

 were allowed to remain on payment of a small fine, but 

 sometimes (as in 1794) the court ordered inclosures to 

 be thrown open. There were frequent presentments 

 of foul ditches and of clay pits that had been allowed 

 to become full of water. On one occasion a tenant was 

 ordered to make two foot-bridges. In 1721 it was 

 ordered that each alehouse keeper, baker, and potter 

 within the manor should pay 40/. a year to the poor 

 for the forest wood which he used in his trade. The 

 court habitually appointed two constables and two 

 woodwards. It was sometimes stated that one of the 

 woodwards was elected by the tenants and the other 

 by the lord of the manor (e.g. 18 17). 



Courts baron were held at the same time as the courts 

 leet and on many other occasions. At some periods 

 there were several courts baron in a year and they 

 continued to be held regularly until 1865. Their 

 main business was the regulation of copyhold tenure, 

 but after the leet had ceased to meet the courts baron 

 became increasingly concerned with grants of waste. 

 In 1864-5, when J. W. Maitland decided to inclose 

 the forest, the manor court was used for the purpose 

 of making grants of waste in extinguishment of com- 

 mon rights. 3' After a long interval the court was held 

 once more in October 1 891, when some copyhold 

 business was transacted. ^^ One tenant complained of 

 encroachments on his land and the bailiff of the manor 

 was ordered to cause them to be abated. No evidence 

 has been found of any later court. 



The manorial pound was near the manor house 

 (Loughton Hall). It still existed in 1895.33 



A vestry minute-book survives for the period 

 1720—41.34 In each year of that period there were 

 two regular meetings, at Easter for the approval of the 

 accounts of the parish overseer of the poor, the church- 

 wardens and constables, and for the appointment of 

 churchwardens and the nomination of the overseer, 

 and on 26 December for the nomination of the sur- 

 veyors of highways. As noted above the appointment 

 of constables continued to be made in the manor court 

 until the 19th century. In 1724, 1725, and 1738 these 

 were the only meetings. In other years additional 

 meetings were held when required. In 1726 there 

 were nine meetings. The number of those signing the 

 minutes varied from 4 to 19. At the Easter vestry, 

 which was best attended, lo-i 2 usually signed. There 

 were two rectors during this period, Christopher 



" The following account, supplied by 

 Mr. William Addison, is from a type- 

 script history of the Goldings Hill Mis- 

 sion, 1889-1939, compiled by R. E. 

 Currey. 



20 Kelly's Dir. Essex (1933); inf. from 

 Mr. W. Addison. 



" Inf. from Revd. M. N. Lake. 



" SC2/173/30. 



» SC2/173/31-38, 174/42A. 



» SC2/174/42B, 173/19, DL/30/61/ 



749- 



25 E.R.O., T/P 18. 



2' They were then in the possession of 

 the Revd. J. W. Maitland. Their present 

 location is now (1953) being investigated 

 by the National Register of Archives. 



" E.R.O., T/P 18. 



2* For fuller details see Waller, Loughton, 

 1,46. 



29 Waller, Loughton, i, 4.6. 



30 The opening date was altered to 12 

 Nov. in 1753: see above, Preservation of 

 Epping Forest. 



124 



3^ For the Epping Forest question see 

 above. 



32 E.R.O., T/P 131. It is evident from 

 the proceedings of the court of 1891 that 

 there had been no court since 1868 or 

 earlier. 



33 E.R.O., T/P 13 i. 



34 E.R.O.,D/P 233/8/1. The book was 

 used by Waller, Loughton, \, 149—53. ^' 

 contains a single entry, out of order, of 1 

 meeting in July 1743. 



