A HISTORY OF ESSEX 



Ashlyns was allotted to Eleanor and she and her 

 husband made a conveyance of the manor in 1 5 5 1 .'■^ 

 James Walsingham died in 1 540.^5 There is no 

 indication whether or not he then retained an interest 

 in the manor. Ashlyns did not remain long in the 

 Walsingham family: in 1584 it was among the posses- 

 sions of William AyloiFe, who died in that year.'* 

 He was the grandson of William AylofFe of Great 

 Braxted (d. 151 7) who had married Audrey, daughter 

 of Sir John Shaa, Lord Mayor of London. 57 This 

 Audrey was probably the widow of John Wrytell 

 (d. 1507) and it is likely that her second husband 

 bought Ashlyns from the Walsinghams.5* 



William Ayloffe was succeeded in 1584 by his son 

 William, then 23.5' In 1610 Sir William Ayloffe con- 

 veyed Ashlyns to Richard Hale.*° In 165 1 Robert 

 Hale, probably son or grandson of Richard, conveyed 

 the manor to Henry Hunter.*' Hunter transferred it 

 in 1672 to Baldwin Harney, F.R.C.P., who settled it 

 in the same year on the Royal College of Physicians.*^ 

 Hamey provided that the revenues from the manor 

 should be used to pay stipends of £40 to a physician of 

 St. Bartholomew's Hospital, £30 to a physician of St. 

 Thomas's Hospital, and ^10 to a physician of Christ 

 Church Hospital for poor children, and also for the 

 provision of certain amenities within the college itself. 

 The pensioners were to be chosen in each case by the 

 governors of the hospitals from two candidates nomi- 

 nated by the college'^ For 250 years Ashlyns remained 

 the property of the college. In 1 849 it consisted of 

 325 acres in High Ongar.** In 1922 the college sold 

 it to Matthew Torrance.^s 



A moated site north-east of the present farm-house 

 indicates the position of the original manor house of 

 Ashlyns. The present house, described by Morant as 

 a 'mean farm-house or cottage',** appears to date from 

 the late 17th or early 1 8th century with later additions. 

 Some of the timbers in the farm buildings appear to be 

 older than the house. 



The manor of CHIFERS HALL alias PASS- 

 FIELD CHIFERS was held in 1338 by Ralph son 

 of William de Pebmersh and Cecily his wife.*' In 

 1475 it was held by Sir Robert Chamberlain and 

 Ehzabeth his wife.** Elizabeth was the descendant 

 and heir of Ralph de Pebmersh.*' In 1482 she and 

 Sir Robert conveyed Chivers Hall to Sir Thomas 

 Stalbroke, Kt., who died holding it in 1484.70 In 1498 

 the manor was conveyed to William Pawne owner of 

 Withers Pawne by William Luke and Alice his wife, 

 widow of Sir Thomas Stalbroke.7' The precise signi- 

 ficance of this conveyance is not clear, but it is likely 



that it was a family arrangement: the Pawne and 

 Stalbroke families were related by marriage.'^ 



A William Pawne was lord of the manor in 1 565.73 

 He died in 1 570 and was succeeded by his son of the 

 same name.''' This last William Pawne died in 

 1578.75 His heir was Bridget, wife of William 

 Chatterton and daughter of Roger Basing by his wife 

 Anne, sister of the William Pawne who had died in 

 1570. Bridget and William Chatterton immediately 

 sold the manor to John Penruddock.7* The property 

 was said to consist of 40 messuages, 6 cottages, 10 tofts, 

 2 dovehouses, 40 gardens, 40 orchards, 400 acres of 

 land, 1 20 acres of meadow, 300 acres of pasture, 60 

 acres of wood, 100 acres of furze, and 60/. rent in 

 High Ongar, Blackmore, and Writtle.77 These 

 figures probably included Withers Pawne (see below). 



John Penruddock was still alive in 1595, when he 

 sold Withers Pawne. In 1 608 a conveyance of Pass- 

 field Chivers was made by Joyce Clarke, widow, and 

 William Bingham and his wife Elizabeth.78 In 1617 

 the manor was settled for life upon Joyce Clarke by 

 William Austin who in January 1627 married Anne 

 Bingham 'of the parish of St. Saviour's, Surrey, 

 widow'. 7' From this it seems likely that Joyce Clarke 

 was the mother of Elizabeth or William Bingham and 

 that she was holding the manor in dower.*" In 

 November 1627 the manor was settled in tail upon 

 William son of the above William Austin.*' William 

 Austin the father died in 1634. '^ In 1650 William 

 Austin the son sold Passfield Chivers to Sir John 

 Thorowgood.*3 The manor was then described as 2 

 messuages, 2 barns, a dovehouse, 2 gardens, 2 orchards, 

 100 acres of land, 20 acres of meadow, 60 acres of 

 pasture, and 12 acres of wood in High Ongar and 

 Norton Mandeville.*'' Thorowgood sold the manor in 

 1675 to Dr. William Stane of London, and in 1688 a 

 conveyance of the manor was made by William Stane 

 and his father Richard. *5 From that time its descent 

 was the same as that of the manor of Forest Hall (see 

 below). In 1849 Chivers Hall farm comprised 173 

 acres and was occupied by Thomas Stokes.** In 1862 

 it contained 170 acres and was occupied by Mrs. 

 Stokes on a fourteen-year lease at an annual rent of 

 ;^25o.*7 By 1919 it had increased to 189 acres.** At 

 the break-up of the Forest Hall estate in that year the 

 farm was bought by the tenant, W. Montgomerie, who 

 later sold it to Mr. H. L. Bird the present (1953) 

 owner. The tenant of Chivers Hall is now Mr. J. 

 Clarke. The farm comprises 180 acres.*' 



The farm-house is timber-framed and is a lofty 

 rectangular structure with a narrow two-story porch 



M E.R.O.,D/DBT96/69i CP25{2)/i:/ 



SI- 



55 Conyers Read, Sir Francis fVaUing- 

 ham^ i, 7. He was the grandfather of Sir 

 Francis Walsingham, Secretary of State 

 to Elizabeth I. 



56 C142/206/2. 



5' Morant, Essex, ii, 138. 



5* The Ayloffes were also connected 

 with the Walsinghams through the mar- 

 riage of Thomas, 2nd son of Wm. AylofFe 

 the grandfather, to the daughter of a 

 Walsingham: Fisits. of Essex, 141. 



5» C142/206/2. 



«o CP25(2)/293 Mich. 8 Jas. I; ibid. 

 Hil. 8 Jas. I. Ayloffe became ist Bt. in 

 Nov. 161 1 : G.E.C. Complete Baronetage, 



'.93- 



'" CP25(2)/550B East. 1651. For the 

 Hale pedigree see Visits, of Essex, 209. 



«^ CP25(2)/654 Hil. 23 & 24 Chas. II; 



CP43/356 m. 3i E.R.O., D/DU 149/4 



and 5. 



<>■> E.R.O., D/DU 149/4 and 5. 



«4 E.R.O., D/CT 263. 



'5 Inf. from the Assistant Librarian, 

 Royal College of Physicians. The college 

 retains a number of deeds concerning 

 Ashlyns. 



" Morant, Essex, i, 130. 



" Cat. Chart. R. 1327-41, 455. Cf. 

 Feet of F. Essex, iii, 150. No evidence has 

 been found to support the statement by 

 Morant, i, 1 3 1 that a Sir Wm. de Chevers 

 held this manor temp. Edw. III. 



«8 Cal. Pat. n(>7-Tj, 515. 



" Morant, Essex, ii, 261. 



70 CP2S(i)/72/290; C142/23/63. 



" CP25(i)/72/294Mich. i4Hen.VII. 



7^ Visits, of Essex (Harl. Soc), i, 24. 



73 E.R.O., D/DC 26/3. 



'■• €142/153/45. 



178 



75 0,42/181/55. 



■"> CP25(2)/l 30/1670. 



77 E.R.O., D/DGe 260. 



78 CP25(2)/293 Hil. 5 Jas. I. 



79 Ibid. 294 Trin. 15 Jas. I; C142/ 

 481/30. 



^^ A Laurence Bingham had been 

 tenant of the manor in 1578: C142/ 

 181/55. 



8' C142/481/30. 



82 Ibid. 



83 CP25(2)/550B Mich. 1650. 



84 E.R.O., D/DGe 262-3. The decrease 

 in extent since 1570 is considerable. The 

 earlier figures probably included Withers 

 Pawne (see below) and other property. 



85 E.R.O., D/DGe 266-7. 



80 E.R.O., D/CT 263. 



87 Forest Hall Sale Cat. 1862. 



88 Forest Hall Sale Cat. 19 19. 



89 Inf. from Mr. J. Clarke. 



