A HISTORY OF ESSEX 



After Judith Smith bought the Bellhouse estate she 

 had the house repaired, but there is no evidence that 

 she herself lived there.s^ In 1839-42 the farm was let 

 to John Gingell and consisted of 106 acres.sJ The 

 house is shown on the tithe map but the avenues of 

 trees no longer existed. s* The house was probably 

 pulled down soon after this, for it is not shown on the 

 I in. Ordnance Survey map of 1843. A few planted 

 trees, including a cedar, now mark the site of the garden 

 and some depressions in the field may indicate the line 

 of a moat. There are also two large rectangular ponds 

 near the site. 



The manor or manors of BRIDGES and PIGGS- 

 LAND, alias BRIDGES, PIGGSLJND, and 

 BOTELERS, was held as part of the manor of Stanford 

 Rivers. Bridges was probably the home of John atte 

 Brigge (1326)5' and William atte Bregge (i3g8).56 

 As late as 1843 it was marked on the map as Bridge 

 House Farm. 57 Modern maps show it as Wash Farm 

 but the earlier name Bridge Farm is still used locally. 

 Piggsland was probably the tenement of Walter Pig 

 (i38i).s' Its name survives in Pig Mead. Botelers 

 has not been identified on the modern map. 



Sir Hugh Stafford, Kt., brother of Edmund, Earl of 

 Stafford, died in 1420 holding Piggsland of John 

 Chambir. It comprised 46 acres of land, 5 acres of 

 meadow, and 9 acres of pasture. He also held Botelers, 

 comprising 40 acres of land and meadow, of the Abbot 

 of Waltham.s' The property passed on Hugh's death 

 to Humphrey, Earl of Stafford, by virtue of a previous 

 settlement.*" In 1446-7 the manors of 'Pigges, 

 Briggesland and Botteless' were together farmed by 

 William Tyng for ;^6.*" 



John, Earl of Wiltshire, died in 1473 holding the 

 manors of 'Pyggeslond, Botelles and Brigges'.*^ John's 

 widow Constance, who died in 1475, was found to have 

 held the manor of Bridges and messuages called Piggs- 

 land and Botleys, of the king in chief *3 



The manor subsequently descended along with that 

 of Stanford Rivers. In 1 543 it was leased, under the 

 name of 'the manor or farm called Brygges and Pigges- 

 lande' to John Glascock of Stanford Rivers for 21 

 years at an annual rent of £6 i y. 4</.** This was the 

 exact amount of the fee-farm rent charged upon 

 the manor as part of the Bellhouse estate in and after 

 the 17th century.^5 



By 1798 Capel Cure had become the owner of 

 Bridges, which comprised 93 acres and was part of the 

 Blake Hall estate (see Bobbingworth).** It was let to 

 a tenant farmer and between 1798 and 1828 contained 

 54 acres of arable and 39 acres of pasture.*' In 1828 

 the farmer also occupied 200 acres belonging to another 

 owner. In 1919 Bridge House Farm was put up for 

 sale with other outlying portions of the Blake Hall 

 estate. It then contained 89 acres and was let to Horace 

 Palmer on a yearly tenancy at a rent oi £\6t, for the 



5> E.R.O., D/DSd Fj. 



53 E.R.O., D/CT 327. 



" Ibid. 



!5 P.N. Essex (E.P.N.S.), 78. 



" Cal. Close, 1396-9,417. 



" O.S. I in. Map {i%^-i). 



5' P.N. Essex (E.P.N.S.), 604. 



!» Ci 38/61. For Sir Hugh Stafford see 

 tUo Traceys, below. Chambir was prob- 

 ably the Chaumbir of Epping who held 

 Littlebury (see below). 



*o C138/61. 



'■ E.R.O., D/DP MsSz. 



" C140/43. The earl was said to hold 

 of the Abbot of Waltham. 



63 C140/54. 



64 L. & p. Hen. Fill, iviii (2), p. 60. 



65 E.R.O., D/DSd T20. For the descent 

 of the rent see above, Stanford Rivers 

 manor. 



<><> E.R.O., D/DCc E6 (Blake Hall estate 

 notebook). 



<" Ibid. 



'8 Sale Cat. 19 19. 



<>•> P.N. Essex (E.P.N.S.), 79-80. The 

 identification is based mainly upon an 

 intermediate form Rockcnhoe given by 

 Morant. This form has been found no- 

 where else. Rockctt's cottages first appear 

 under that name in the first ed. 6 in. O.S. 



year ending Michaelmas 1919 and of ^172 for the 

 year ending Michaelmas 1920.** 



The manor of LITTLEB URT, alias the manors of 

 LITTLEB URr and ROPFENHO, first appears under 

 those names in the 13 th century. Rowenho has been 

 identified — on somewhat doubtful evidence — with 

 Rocketts cottages.*' It is possible that this manor may 

 be identical with Little Stanford, which in 1066 was 

 held by the father of Alvric (see above. Manor). 



In 1260 Robert son of Michael de Munteny made 

 a conveyance to John son of Adam of i carucate of 

 land, 40/. rent and a mill in Littlebury.'" 



In 1288 John de Munteny sought to replevy his 

 lands in Littlebury, which had been seized by the king 

 for his default against John Lovel." In 1 3 1 8 Richard 

 de Munteny, son of John, granted to John de Chelmers- 

 ford, clerk, 6 acres of land in two crofts with hedges and 

 ditches which had formerly belonged to Gilbert le 

 Man, and which the donor had of the gift of John de 

 Munteny his father, lying between the demesne lands 

 of Littlebury and the king's highway from Ongar to 

 London.'^ In 1320 Richer de Refham and his son 

 John were tenants of all the land in Littlebury that had 

 belonged to John de Munteny. The Refhams had 

 acquired the tenancy from Sir John de Bensted, for 

 whose life it was held. The annual rent was ^10 and 

 this was the subject of a dispute (also in 1 320) between 

 the Refhams and Richard de Gatesbyry, the guardian 

 of John, son and heir of John de Munteny. Richard 

 had been given the wardship by Sir Arnulph de 

 Munteny, 'the chief lord of the fee', and claimed arrears 

 of rent from the Refhams. An agreement was eventu- 

 ally reached by which the arrears were remitted and 

 the rent was reduced to £8 a year.'3 In 1333 Ralph 

 [sic] de Gatesbery conveyed the manor of 'Littlebury 

 near Ongar' to John son of John de Munteny and 

 Margaret his wife.''* It was probably the same John 

 de Munteny who in 1355 granted to Richard de 

 Salyng, citizen of London, all lands which he had in 

 Stanford Rivers.'^ This grant was repeated by Edmund 

 son of John de Munteny in 1369 and by Thomas son 

 of Richard de Munteny in 1379.'* 



In 1398 Richard Salyng, the younger, son of John 

 Salyng of Stanford Rivers, granted to Master Richard 

 Salyng, mason and citizen of London, and Lore his 

 wife the manors of Littlebury and Rowenho. The pur- 

 pose of the grant was apparently to settle the remainder 

 of the manors upon the children, bastard as well as 

 legitimate, of Master Richard." By 1405 Master 

 Richard had died and his widow had married John 

 Bromhale who held Littlebury and Rowenho in her 

 right.'* In that year it was provided that the two 

 manors should be held by John Bromhale and Lore 

 and the heirs of the body of Lore by Richard Salyng, 

 with remainders as to the manor of Littlebury to John 

 son of Richard, Richard Salyng, bastard son of Richard 



Map {c. 1870). 



'» Feet of F. Essex, i, 236. 



" Cal. Close, 1279-88, 549. 



'2 Ibid. 1313-18, 590. 



'3 Ibid. 1318-23, 330. For the Refhams 

 see above, manor of Stanford Rivers. 



'4 Feet of F. Essex, iii, 32. 



" Cal. Close, 1354-60, 623. For John 

 de Munteny and Richard de Salyng see 

 also Myles's in Kelvedon Hatch. 



'6 Ibid. 1369-74, 88; 1377-81, 321. 



" Ibid. 1396-9,416-17. 



" Feet of F. Essex, iii, 243-4. For the 

 will of Ricd. Salyng, proved in 1404, see 

 below, Church. 



214 



