A HISTORY OF ESSEX 



Their terminus was the 'Three Nuns', and they 

 returned on the following days.*" In 1833 the coaches 

 belonging to A. Nelson & Co., left the 'Bull' twice a 

 day for Ongar, with accommodation for 6 passengers 

 inside and 12 outside. *■ Carriers' wagons also ran 

 daily from the 'Bull'.*^ In 1848 there was a daily 

 coach to London from the 'Lion' at Ongar. ^3 There 

 were also coaches to Brentwood railway station, leaving 

 the house of John West, coach proprietor, twice daily.^ 

 Stephen Clements's wagons still left for London on 

 Tuesday and Friday. *' The wagons of Samuel Drake 

 and Henry Wood left for Chelmsford on Monday, 

 Wednesday, and Friday.** In 1863, shortly before 

 the railway reached Ongar, there were still one daily 

 coach to London and two to Brentwood station. *7 

 There was also a mail cart to Romford.** Clements 

 operated the same wagon service to London, and 

 Samuel Drake to Chelmsford.*' John White's wagon 

 went daily to Brentwood.'" 



The railway service between Ongar and London 

 was opened in 1865." Bus services have been operated 

 since the igao's. In 1922 there were daily services to 

 Bishop's Stortford and Brentwood.'^ Now (1953) 

 there are good services to Epping, Brentwood, Rom- 

 ford and Chelmsford and others to the Rodings and to 

 Harlow. 



The earliest reference in the post-ofEce records to a 

 postal service in Chipping Ongar is in 1717. In that 

 year the name of Joseph King of Ongar occurs in a 

 general list of sub-postmasters; he had a yearly salary 

 of j^2 5.'3 His successor in 1727 was Lionel King, who 

 was still serving in 1756, with the same salary.'"* He 

 was followed by Mrs. Eliza Bancilhon, at first with a 

 salary of j{^2 5,'' later of ^^i I , with riding work reckoned 

 at j(^2l.'* This last payment was made by the deputy- 

 postmaster to the district surveyor, and it indicates that 

 Ongar was already the centre for some postal service 

 to the surrounding villages. There are similar details 

 for the Epping post-office and it is clear that a by-post 

 served Epping and Ongar at least from the early i8th 

 century. 



A directory of 1791 includes this service, the post 

 leaving Epping every day save Monday, with a return 

 service from Ongar every day except Saturday; Mrs. 

 Bancilhon was still postmistress, with Thomas Hendry, 

 victualler, of the 'White Hart', as 'Post Office Keeper'.'^ 

 Ongar is also included in a list of the chief post and 

 sub-post towns given in Cary's Atlas of 1793, with a 

 note that letters leaving London at 3 p.m. reached 

 Ongar at 10 a.m. the next day, the cost of a letter being 

 4^.'* The rate was raised to kd. in 1 8 1 5 ." 



This by-post between Epping and Ongar is traced 

 as a daily horse-ride in a post-office map of 1 8 1 3.' The 



ride from Epping loops south as far as Abridge and goes 

 on through Stanford Rivers. 



In 1 8 10 James Merrington resigned and James 

 Scruby was made deputy-postmaster at Ongar.^ Miss 

 Maria Scruby was appointed six years later' and still 

 held the office in 1 845, when it was described as a post- 

 office issuing money orders.* William Scruby was sub- 

 postmaster at least between 185 1 and i886.5 Later 

 holders of the office can be traced in the county 

 directories. 



In the mid- 1 9th century there were some changes. 

 In 1847 application was made to the Postmaster 

 General both by Epping and Ongar for a daily mail, 

 which was set up later in the year;* and in 1852 Ongar 

 was made a post town.' Moreover in addition to the 

 old-established by-post between Epping and Ongar, 

 there was a postal service between Romford and Ongar, 

 described as a 'ride' in 1 849,* and as a mail-cart service 

 in 1857.' In iSf; a contract was also made for an 

 Ongar-Brentwood day mail service.'" After this time 

 the Ongar post-office developed normally in line with 

 the national service. The present post-office is in the 

 centre of the town on the west side of the High Street. 

 The telegraph was in use at Ongar after 1872" and the 

 telephone from 1913.'^ 



In 1890 Ongar's water supply was being obtained 

 from wells 20-30 ft. deep. '3 

 PUBLIC SERVICES Local waterworks were 

 AND SOCIAL LIFE established in 1897.'* In 

 1879 the Herts, and Essex 

 Waterworks Co. had been empowered to supply 

 Ongar and neighbouring parishes from the pipes be- 

 tween Epping and Sawbridgeworth" and in 1907 the 

 Herts, and Essex Co. took over the local company.'* 

 Some form of main drainage was already in existence 

 at Ongar in 1827." The Ongar Gas Co. began to 

 supply the town in 1836.'* In 191X it was absorbed 

 by the Bishop's Stortford Gas Co. and in 1934 the 

 Ongar works were closed, gas being supplied by a 

 trunk main from Epping." The gasworks were 

 situated to the south of Ongar Bridge, and were at 

 first run in conjunction with the neighbouring brick- 

 field.^" There is still a gasometer. Ongar was included 

 in the area covered by the County of London Electricity 

 Act, 1927, and electricity was first supplied in 1932.^' 



The Royal Exchange Insurance Co. had a fire- 

 engine at Ongar in 1853. It was kept in the former 

 parish cage at the south entrance to the town. In that 

 year the parish vestry resolved to demolish the cage 

 and order the removal of the engine.^^ In 1886 there 

 was a town fire-brigade consisting of a captain and 

 eight men.23 The former engine house south of Ongar 

 Bridge was demolished in 1951.^ 



"> Pigot's CommercialDir. (1826-7), 5^6. 

 ^' Rohon 5 London Dir. i833,pt. i, p. 14. 



82 Ibid. pt. iv, p. 23. 



83 fVhite's Dir. Essex (1848). 



»* Ibid. 85 Ibid. 86 Ibid. 



87 IVhile's Dir. Essex (1863). 



88 Ibid. 89 Ibid. «o Ibid. 

 " A time-table of services from Ongar 



to Fenchurch Street in Apr. 1865 was 

 still preserved at Ongar in 1952: inf. from 

 Mr. D. W. Hutchings. 



«^ Kelly's Dir. Essex (1922). 



" G.P.O. General Accounts, vol. iii, 

 1711-20, f. 322. 



'* Ibid. vols, iv-vii, 1721—60, passim; 

 and P.O. Establishment Books. 



»5 G.P.O. Establishment Books, 1760, 

 1763, lydg, passim (not paged). 



»' Ibid. 1782. 



" Universal Brit. Dir. 1791, vol. iv, 

 pp. 175-6. 



«8 J. Gary, Neiv and correct English 

 Atlas . . . 1793. 



9« P.M.G. Minutes, 1815, vol. 29, 

 p. II. 



■ G.P.O. Map entitled 'Mr. Western's 

 district', Dec. 181 3. A copy of the map 

 is at the E.R.O. 



2 P.M.G. Minutes, 1810, vol. 

 pp. 256, 272, 351. 



3 Ibid. 1816, vol. 29, p. 175. 

 * Kelly's Dir. Essex (1845), 102. 

 5 Ibid. 1851-86, />aJ«'w. 

 ' P.M.G. Minutes, 1847, vol. 



pp. 232, 525. 



' Ibid. 1852, vol. 127, p. 137. 



25. 



98, 



8 Ibid. 1849, vol. 113, p. 559. 



9 Ibid. 1857, vol. 179, p. 412. 

 ■" Ibid. 1855, vol. 160, p. 107. 

 " Ibid. 1871, vol. 92, min. 272. 



'^ P.M.G. Mins. 191 3, min. 24879. 



'3 Kelly's Dir. Essex {i%c)d). 



'* Essex Almanac, 1906, p. 226, 



'5 E.R.O., Q/RUm 2/258. 



'<* Inf. from Herts. & Essex Water- 

 works Co. 



" E.R.O., D/P 124/8/3. 



'8 Inf. from Eastern Gas Bd. 



■9 Ibid. ^» See Occupations. 



2' Inf. from Eastern Elec. Bd. 



" E.R.O., D/P 128/8/3. 



" Kelly's Dir. Essex (1886). 



« For a photo, of it see E.R.O., T/P 96, 

 W.E.A. Survey, Ongar, 1951. 



158 



