ONGAR HUNDRED 



CHIPPING ONGAR 



is in 1287, when John de Olmestede, steward of Sir 

 John de Rivers gave a bond to Hugh de Gloucester, 

 tailor of London, in 8 quarters 'of the best, purest and 

 cleanest dry corn, of the country and measure of 

 Essex ... as could be sold in the market of Angre 

 within the quinzaine of Michaelmas last for 3^.'*^ 



In 1372 the market was appurtenant to the manor 

 and was being held on Tuesdays.** It remained in the 

 possession of the lord of the manor until 1841, when 

 the market tolls were sold by Sir John Swinburne to 

 P. Chaplin of Harlow.*' The 'Old Market House' 

 was in about 1841 situated next to 'The King's Head' 

 on the south side.'" Later in the 19th century the 

 market was held in the Town Hall on Saturdays." It 

 probably came to an end at the same time as the fair 

 (see below)." In 1927— 30 a brief unsuccessful attempt 

 was made to revive the market: poultry were sold at 

 'The King's Head'." The poultry boxes in 'The King's 

 Head' yard are now (1952) being casually dismantled.'* 



The Old Market House had been converted into 

 shops by 1 877.75 Two market crosses, which still sur- 

 vived in 1842,'* had been removed by 1877.'' The 

 house still survives.'* It dates from the 17th century 

 and consists of two stories with attics and basements, 

 timber framed and plastered. The upper story projects 

 on the east front. The lower part of the building was 

 formerly open." 



In 1222 Richard de Rivers, whose father had 

 recently died, received the royal grant of an annual 

 fair of three days' duration until he came of age.*" The 

 fair was to be held on g-i i November. The implication 

 in the grant seems to be that the fair was already being 

 held and that Richard needed sanction for holding it 

 because of his minority. A hiring fair, on 1 1 October, 

 was being held in 1763.*' In 1780 a fair was held on 

 30 September.*^ A list of 1792 stated that a fair was 

 held on Easter Tuesday, and another for hiring on 1 1 

 October.*' In about 1845 the fair was held on 12 

 October and there was 'much business in barley for 

 malting'.*'' The fair apparently lapsed for a time in the 

 middle of the 19th century. It was revived in 1872 and 

 held in the Town Hall. A handbill advertising the 

 loth fair since the revival, to be held on 12 October 

 1 88 1, bears the name of Captain Budworth of Green- 

 stead Hall as the chairman of the fair committee. *5 

 The author of the bill claimed that the fair was a 

 valuable aid to the mutual understanding of different 

 classes of society. The fair was mainly for entertain- 

 ment. It was not universally popular and in 1892 the 



tolls were bought by Henry Gibson, Clerk to the 

 County Council, and a local resident, with a view to its 

 abolition.** A letter to Gibson from a certain H. 

 Brown in that year states that 'those who have had to 

 bear the brunt of the fair, being obliged to live in the 

 midst of it will readily welcome . . . its abandonment'.*' 



In the 17th century there is slight evidence from 

 trade-tokens of cloth-making at Chipping Ongar.** 

 Philip Trayherne, a dyer, occurs in 1677.*' In the 

 same century are references to inter alia a tailor ( 1 60 5), '* 

 a locksmith (1655)," a basketmaker (1667),'^ and a 

 haberdasher alias hatter (1667). '^ In 1626 Edward 

 Peacock, tallow chandler, and Robert King, apothecary, 

 were presented at Quarter Sessions for using and 

 maintaining a house 'for to melt their tallow and 

 "gravee" near unto the common market-place, which 

 is a common annoyance to the inhabitants dwelling 

 near'.'* 



Pigot's Directory of Essex for 1840 listed the trades- 

 people in Chipping Ongar. There were eight public 

 houses. The general pattern of employment has 

 changed little since that time. The town is, however, 

 sufficiently near to London to have reacted fairly 

 quickly to new fashions. There was a photographer 

 there in 1874, when there were only 33 in the whole 

 of Essex.'s 



The date at which the brickmaking industry began 

 at Chipping Ongar has not been found, but it seems 

 likely that this was about 1800.'* For many years the 

 brickfield on the Greenstead Road was owned and 

 operated by the proprietor of the adjoining gas works." 

 The brickfield was closed in 19 17, soon after the new 

 brickfield at Hallsford in High Ongar (q.v.) was 

 opened.'* 



There was a printer in the town in 1845." A later 

 printer, Slocombe, was in business about 1870-90.' 



Vestry books for Chipping Ongar survive for the 



periods 1743-75 and 



PARISH GOVERNMENT 1786-1863.^ The busi- 



JND POOR RELIEF nessof the parish seems 



on the whole to have 

 been conducted efficiently and honestly. From 1743 

 to 1759 nieetings took place at Easter, for the approval 

 of the accounts of the overseers, churchwardens, and 

 constables, at Christmas for the approval of the sur- 

 veyors' accounts and occasionally for other purposes. 

 New officials were nominated when the accounts were 

 passed. From 1759 monthly meetings were the rule,- 

 mainly for matters relating to poor relief. Attendance 



" Cal. And. D. v, A. 1 1885. 



«8 Ci35/File 230. 



<>» R. I. Porter, Notes on Chipping Ongar, 

 I. But see E.R.O., D/DC 27/736. 

 Chaplin still owned the tolls in 1856: 

 D/P 124/23/2. 



'0 E.R.O., D/CT 262. The Old Market 

 House is sometimes referred to locally as 

 the Butter Market : inf. from Mr. D. W. 

 Hutchings of Ongar. 



'■ Kelly'! Dir. Essex (1874 f.). 



" For the demolition of the Town Hall 

 see above, p. 156. The Town Hall has 

 sometimes been called the Market House. 

 Its position and design suggest that this 

 was for long one of its main functions. 



" Inf. from Mr. D. W. Hutchings. 



'* Ibid. ; personal observation. 



'5 R. I. Porter, Notes on dipping Ongar, 

 I. 



'« E.R.O., D/DC 27/736. 



" R. I. Porter, Notes on dipping Ongar, 

 I. 



'8 It is now the Clifton Ctfi. 



'9 Hist. Mon. Com. Essex, ii, 53. The 

 Market House is shown in the print of 

 Ongar by I. Hassell, 1818 : E.R.O., Prints 

 Collection, Chipping Ongar. The building 

 had three open arches on the east side. 



*" Rot. Lit. Claus. (Rec. Com.}, i, 490A. 



81 E.R.O., Q/SBb 268. 



8* Essex, Herts. & Cambs. Almanack, 

 1780. 



83 Rep. Com. Mkt. Rights [C. 5550], 

 p. 161, H.C. (1888), liii. The hiring fair 

 is said to have been held at one time in the 

 *Lion' yard : inf. from Mr. D. W. Hutch- 

 ings. 84 Kelly's Dir. Essex ( 1 845). 



85 Handbill in the possession of Mr. 

 Avery, Shelley House, Ongar. 



86 Inf. from Mr. D. W. Hutchings. 



87 Ibid. This letter is now (1955) in the 

 Essex Record Office. 



88 y.C.H. Essex, ii, 398; f. Anglian, iii, 

 127; E.A.T. N.s. xvii, 248. 



89 E.R.O.,e/SR 437/42. 



167 



«» Ibid. 173/131. 

 9' Ibid. 365/22, 23. 



92 Ibid. 411/70. 



93 Ibid. 411/42, 71. 



94 Ibid. 252/52. 



95 Kelly's Dir. Essex (1874), 367. 

 9' See above, p. 156. 



97 White's Dir. Essex (1848, 1863); 

 Kelly's Dir. Essex (1874 f.). For the G»s 

 Works see above. Public Services. 



98 E.R.O., T/P 96 : Ongar W.E.A. Sur- 

 vey, 195 1. 



99 He printed the rules of the Ongar 

 Cricket Club : see above, Social Life. 



' He printed R; I. Porter's Notes on 

 Chipping Ongar (1877) and P. J. Bud- 

 worth's Memorials of Greensted-Budzuorth 

 (.876). 



2 The book for 1743-75 '* *' the 

 rectory; the others are E.R.O., D/P 

 1 24/8/ 1-4. Unless otherwise stated all 

 the following information is derived from 

 these minute-books. 



