ONGAR HUNDRED 



ABBESS RODING 



tinued to hold it until about 1 8 1 4, when it became the 

 property of William Perry, who had for many years 

 been Mills's tenant.s" In 1 8 17 or 18 18 Charles 

 Selwin became the owner.^i Rookwood Hall farm, 

 as it was now styled, descended subsequently to Henry 

 Selwin-Ibbetson, Baron Rookwood of Down Hall (d. 

 I902).3^ He was succeeded by his nephew Capt. 

 Horace W. Calverly.33 After the purchase by Charles 

 Selwyn Rookwood became part of a large estate which 

 was administered from Down Hall in Hatfield Broad 

 Oak and which in 1873 contained 1,564 acres in 

 Essex.34 In 1843 Rookwood Hall farm comprised 

 279 acres.35 



Only part of old Rookwood Hall remains and this 

 is in a ruinous condition. It stands on a site of more than 

 3 J acres, enclosed by a very fine moat. A spur of the 

 moat extends inwards on the west side and there are 

 indications of a second moated enclosure immediately 

 to the south. 



The house has been thought to be the work of John 

 Browne, who was lord of the manor in the second 

 quarter of the i6th century. 3^ It has several features 

 in common with Colville Hall at White Roding which 

 was also the property of the Brownes at that time. In 

 1578 Elizabeth I stayed a night at Rookwood Hall and 

 held a Privy Council there.37 



The existing building is of two stories and is L- 

 shaped in plan with wings extending to the north and 

 west. A second wing on the west side has been demo- 

 lished^' and it is possible that at one time the house 

 was of even greater extent. The south wing is of three 

 bays and is mostly of timber-framed construction. The 

 south wall has been rebuilt in 17th- or 18th-century 

 brickwork. The roof has cambered collar-beams. The 

 structure is independent of the north block and there 

 is some evidence that it is of earher date. The north 

 block consists of one large room to each floor. The 

 lower room has moulded timbers and the remains of a 

 brick fireplace. Above it is a fine upper chamber or 

 solar. The roof, which is of three bays, has arch-braced 

 collar-beams and curved wind-braces. The wall-posts 

 have elaborate mouldings which are returned along the 

 wall-plates to form a cornice. There was formerly a 

 wide stone fireplace in this room and beside it a stop- 

 moulded door-frame with a four-centred head and 

 carved spandrels." This door led to the demohshed 

 north-west wing. In the east wall there were originally 

 two six-light mullioned windows which were later 

 blocked and are still largely concealed by plaster. The 

 mullions are richly moulded and there are moulded 

 sills externally. Below the windows the wall has close- 

 set oak studs with original 'nogging', one brick wide, 

 between them. The sides of the studs have splayed 

 grooves to receive the brickwork and the bricks them- 

 selves are laid horizontally and diagonally in alternate 

 panels. This form of construction is rare in Essex but 

 is found in a small group of buildings in the immediate 

 neighbourhood, all apparently dating from the early 



1 6th century.*" The north wall is of solid brickwork, 

 probably later, and has diaper decoration in darker 

 brick. The house originally had a fine brick chimney 

 consisting of two slender shafts joined at the top with 

 octagonal moulded caps. The shafts were enriched 

 with zigzag flutings of moulded brick. 



The decline of Rookwood Hall probably began early 

 in the i8th century after the departure of the Capels. 

 By about 1770 it had ceased to be an important house 

 and was described as 'a venerable mansion to which 

 there formerly belonged an extensive park'.*' It was 

 probably about that time that the walls were plastered 

 over and sash windows were inserted. Rookwood 

 continued to be used as a farm-house until about 1886 

 when a new red brick house was built south of the 

 moated site.*^ The north-west wing of the old house 

 was demolished late in the 19th century. Between 

 1904 and 1 9 14 the chimney was taken down and re- 

 built at a cottage in the grounds of Down Hall, now 

 Downham School (in Hatfield Broad Oak). The 

 house is now partly in use as an outhouse but is rapidly 

 falling into decay. 



Inside the moated enclosure are two very fine 

 timbered barns, also probably of the early i6th century. 

 Each is of eight bays and the roofs have arch-braced 

 tie-beams with king-posts and four-way struts. Below 

 the purlins are curved wind-braces. In the smaller 

 barn are window openings with diagonally set mullions. 

 Part of this barn is said by local tradition to have been 

 the original meeting place of the Presbyterians who 

 later built the church that formerly stood beside 

 Anchor House. 



During the Middle Ages the advowson of the parish 

 church of Abbess Roding was held by 

 CHURCH Barking Abbey.*' The first presentation 

 after the Dissolution was made by Edward 

 Brook in 1541 by virtue of a previous grant from the 

 abbey. Thomas Wiseman presented in 1565 and John 

 Glascock in i 587.** Soon after this the advowson was 

 acquired by (Sir) Gamaliel Capel and descended with 

 the manor until 1680, when Prosper Nicholas pre- 

 sented pro hac vici.^^ William Turner presented in 

 1682.** In 17 19 the advowson was conveyed to 

 Richard Waylett by Samuel Pratt and Anne his wife 

 and John Benson and Mary his wife.*' In 1731 

 Richard Waylett conveyed it to Edward Hinton, 

 Rector of Sheering and John Maryon, Rector of White 

 Roding.** Hinton and Maryon presented in 1732 and 

 Maryon alone in i748.*9 The next presentation, in 

 1786, was by Thomas Dyer and Walwyn Shepheard.'" 

 The advowson remained in the Dyer family until 

 about 1850. Two members of the family were rectors 

 of Abbess Roding.s' By 1854 the advowson had been 

 acquired by Capel Cure of Blake Hall (in Bobbing- 

 worth, q.v.) who presented his son, L. Capel Cure, in 

 1858.5^ The latter was rector until 191 2 and also held 

 the advowson. He was succeeded as rector and patron 

 by his son, C. L. Capel-Cure, who held the rectory 



M E.R.O.,Q/RPl 685-719. 



3' Ibid. 722-3. 



" Complete Peerage, xi, 88; G.E.C. 

 Complete Baronetage, v, 96—97. 



S3 E.R. xiii, 98; Burke, Land. Gent. 

 (1906), 1,253. 



M Retm. of Otvners of Land, 1873 

 [C. 1097], Essex, p. 25, H.C. (1874), 

 Ixxii (i). 35 E.R.O., D/CT 292. 



3» E.R. xiii, 96. 



3' E.R. xxvi, 127. 



3' Miss Rowe of Falkiners, Abbess 



Roding, has a I9th-cent. water-colour 

 showing this. 



39 Hist. Mon. Com. Recs.; Hist. Man. 

 Com. Essex, ii, 2. 



« Outbuildings at Colville Hall, White 

 Roding, and New Hall, High Roding. 



♦' Hist. Essex by Gent, iii, 341. 



*^ Inf. from Miss Rowe. 



43 Newcourt, Repert. ii, 498. 



<* Ibid. Between 1541 and 1565 the 

 advowson was the subject of several royal 

 grants: Cal. Pat. 1550-3, 13, 326; ibid. 



1558-60, 460. 



*5 Newcourt, Repert. ii, 498-9. 



*6 Ibid. 



*' CP25(2)/ioi3 Mich. 6 Geo. I. 



♦8 E.R.O., D/DC 13/560. 



49 Morant, Essex, i, 1 39. For Maryon 

 see J. E. Maryon, Recs. of Family of 

 Maryon (E.R.O., pamphlet). 



5» P.R.O. Inst. Bks., Ser. C. i(i). 



5' Cler. Guide, 1819-36; Clergy List, 

 1845 f. 



52 Clergy List, 1854 t.;E.R. xxi, 226. 



ES. IV 



193 



CC 



