ONGAR HUNDRED 



HIGH ONGAR 



School which by 1816 was receiving some ^^31 in 

 annual subscriptions.*' In 1818 there were about 60 

 children at this school, mostly girls, and 74 others 

 attended the Sunday schools held in conjunction with 

 it.68 In 1828 the day pupils were said to number 80 

 and in 1833,89.*' Thesefigures, however, were prob- 

 ably inflated by the inclusion of children who only 

 attended the Sunday school, for in 1835 there were 

 said to be only 60 at the day school.'" The rector seems 

 to have owned the school building, which was situated 

 at the east end of the village on the south side of the 

 road; subscribers helped to maintain the school." In 

 1846-7 there were 77 pupils under a mistress who 

 was paid ,^50 a year.'^ About the same time the rector 

 helped to maintain a dame school, possibly in some 

 other part of the parish.'^ There were also private and 

 dame schools, unconnected with the church; in 1833 

 there were five, including one boarding-school, and 

 71 children were attending them.'-* 



In 1 867 a new school was built opposite the church, 

 with accommodation for 135 and a teacher's house. 

 Subscribers gave £i,ogj and the Education Depart- 

 ment a building grant of ^^aoi.'s Since a school had 

 recently been established at Paslow Wood Common 

 and there was also another school in the parish with 1 5 

 pupils,'* the new church school was sufficient for the 

 needs of High Ongar's stationary population. The 

 Education Department stated in 1872 that no more 

 accommodation was necessary." Attendance at the 

 school rose hardly at all before 1 880, when it was only 

 72, but by 1886 it had risen to iig.'^ The building 

 was therefore enlarged in 1887 to accommodate 160. '» 

 The annual grant rose from ^^58 in 1873 to ^95 in 

 1886.8'' 



In 1890 a school board was established at High 

 Ongar and in that year it accepted transfer of the build- 

 ing for use as a board school on weekdays. 8' By the 

 Education Act of 1902 the school passed under the 

 administration of the Essex Education Committee, 

 Ongar District. In 1904 there were 153 children on 

 the books, 4 teachers, 2 of them certificated, and a 

 monitress.*^ Attendance subsequently fell, to 91 in 

 1915 and 62 in 1938.83 In 1936 the school was re- 

 organized for mixed juniors and infants, the seniors 

 being transferred to the new school at Chipping 

 Ongar. 8+ In May 1952 there were 90 children under 

 3 teachers. 85 The building, opposite the church, is 

 single-storied and of red brick, with teacher's house 

 attached. 



In 1865 a wooden building was erected near Nine 

 Ashes Farm, Paslow Wood Common, for use as a 

 church school, the cost being met by subscription.8* 

 The attendance was at first small: an average of 29 in 

 1880 and 28 in 1886.8' Jn jg^j ^ began to rise. 



additional pupils coming from Norton Mandeville, 

 where the school had recently been closed, and Black- 

 more, where the school was overcrowded. 88 By 1893 

 there were 56 children on the books, although there 

 was adequate accommodation only for 50. The school 

 board, which had accepted transfer of the building in 

 1890, considered its enlargement but eventually 

 decided to build a new school a short distance to the 

 south-west of the existing one.89 The new school was 

 opened in 1895 with accommodation for 88. '« Atten- 

 dance rose to 92 in 1904; there were then 3 teachers." 

 The annual grant increased from ^^28 in 1893 to ;^67 

 in 1902. M 



By the Act of 1902 this school passed under the 

 administration of the Essex Education Committee, 

 Ongar District. The average attendance fluctuated in 

 the following years: 52 in 191 5 and 63 in 1929. In 

 1936 the school was reorganized for mixed juniors and 

 infants and in 1938 the average attendance was only 

 34.'3 In May 1952 there were 2 teachers and 35 

 pupils.** The school is a single-story brick building 

 with a slated roof (see plate facing p. 1 26). The earlier 

 school near Nine Ashes Farm is now used as a mission 

 church. 



From about 1890 to 1930 there was a private 

 school for boys (and later girls) at Marden Ash, run 

 by Francis Dawson and by Mrs. Dawson. 's 



By a scheme made in 1924 Tabor's almshouses, 

 Wyberd's, Thomlinson's, Peacock's, 

 CHARITIES and Waller's Charities were united 

 under the name of the Parochial 

 Charities.'* Their income is expendable in general 

 charitable purposes. In 1951 ^^18 16/. 7^/. was spent on 

 gifts in kind and on management. 



Tabor's almshouses were founded by William Tabor, 

 then Rector of High Ongar, who in 1607 gave some 

 cottages on the north-east side of the village street, for 

 the reception of old and deserving parishioners. By 

 his will dated 16 10 he added a rent charge of ;^io for 

 the support of the almsmen and the repair of the 

 houses. The land charged lay in Bradwell-juxta-Mare. 

 In 1834 the almshouses consisted of six tenements 'in 

 pretty good repair', occupied by nine old people ap- 

 pointed by the rector and vestry. The total amount 

 spent on the almspeople at this time was 17/. a week. 

 For many years they had been partly supported out of 

 the poor rates, and the charity income was carried to 

 the poor rate account." By 1900 the almshouses were 

 in poor repair and their maintenance was uneconomic. '8 

 By 1929 four of the houses had been empty for six years 

 and soon after this they were condemned by the County 

 Council. In 1937 the houses were sold for ^^50 and 

 were demolished soon after." The income from the 

 investment and the rent charge are now used for the 



" Nat. Soc. Rep. 18 16, p. 52. 



" Retits. Educ. Poor., H.C. 224, p. 264 

 (i8i9),ix(i). 



<■» Nat. Soc. Rep. 1828, p. 72; Educ. 

 Enquiry Aislr. H.C. 62, p. 285 {1835), 

 xli. 



'» Rep. Com. Char. (Essex), H.C. 216, 

 p. 24o(i835),xxi(i). 



'■ Ibid.; E.R.O.,D/CT 263. 



'^ Nat. Soc. Enquiry into Church Schs. 

 1846-7, pp. 14-15. '3 Ibid. 



'♦ Educ. Enquiry Aistr. p. 285. 



" Min. of Educ. File 13/198. 



" Retns. Elem. Educ. H.C. 201, pp. 

 I12-13 (1871), Iv. 



" Chelmsford Chron. 2 Aug. 1872. 



" Rep. of Educ. Cttee. of Council, 1880 



[C. 2948-1], p. 577, H.C. (1881), xxxii; 

 ibid. 1886 [C. 5123-1], p. 519, H.C. 

 (1887), xxviii. 



" Kelly's Dir. Essex (1899). 



80 Essex Standard, 28 Oct. 1874; Rep. 

 of Educ. Cttee. of Council, 1886, p. 519. 



8' Min. of Educ. File 13/198. 



8^ Essex Educ. Cttee. Ilandhk. 1904, 

 p. 184. 83 Min. of Educ. File 13/198. 



8* Inf. from Essex Educ. Cttee. 



85 Ibid. 86 Min. of Educ. File 13/199. 



8' Rep. of Educ. Cttee. of Council, 1S80, 

 p. 577; ibid. 1886, p. 519. 



88 Min. of Educ. File 13/199. 



89 Ibid.; Retn. of Schs. 1893 [C. 7529], 

 p. 714, H.C. (1894), Ixv. 



<"> Min. of Educ. File 13/199; Schs. 



under Bd. of Educ. ig02 [Cd. 1490], p. 71, 

 H.C. (1903), li. 



»■ Essex Educ. Cttee. Handbk. 1904, 

 p. 186. 



92 Retn. of Schs. 1893, p. 714; Schs^. 

 under Bd. of Educ. igo2, p. 71- 



93 Min. of Educ. File 13/199. 



94 Inf. from Essex Educ. Cttee. 



95 Kelly's Dir. Essex (1890 f.). 

 9' Char. Com. files. 



9' Rep. Com. Char. (Essex), H.C. 216, 

 p. 240 (1835), xxi (i). And see above 

 Parish Govt, and Poor Relief. 



98 Char. Com. files; Parish Council 

 Mins., extracted by Mr. D. W. Hutchings. 



99 Char.- Com. files; Paroch. Char. 

 Mins., extracted by Mr. D. W. Hutchings. 



187 



