A HISTORY OF ESSEX 



Traceys was one of the manors quitclaimed by John 

 son of John de Rivers to the Earl of Stafford in 1359.' 

 There is no mention of any member of the Tracy 

 family after this date and it is probable that their manor 

 escheated to the Earl of Stafford. The manor was held 

 in 1412 by Nicholas Bradshagh (see Stanford Hall, 

 above) and was valued at ^20. "> In 1420 Traceys 

 (like Piggsland, see above) was among the possessions 

 left by Sir Hugh Stafford at his death. He had held 

 Traceys for life of the Earl of Stafford, to whom it then 

 reverted. It comprised 100 acres of land, 10 acres of 

 meadow, and 16 acres of pasture." 



The manor subsequently followed the descent of 

 that of Stanford Rivers, although it was sometimes 

 leased separately. In 1535 the court of the manor of 

 Traceys was being held in the name of Mary, Lady 

 Cary, widow.'^ In 1543 a 21-year lease of Traceys 

 was granted to Richard Elliott (see Barwicks, above) 

 at an annual rent of ^"i;.'^ In 1738 William Petre 

 leased Traceys to John Shuttleworth for 21 years at 

 an annual rent of ^{^156, from which ^^42 was to be 

 deducted for land tax and jTio for repairs."'* In 1768 

 Shuttleworth was still the tenant, at the same rent. '5 

 At the time of the tithe award (1842) John Palmer 

 was the tenant, farming 163 acres.'* 



In and after the 17th century the manor of Traceys 

 was subject to a fee-farm rent of £1 5." 



The present farm-house of Traceys appears to date 

 from the late 1 8th or early 19th century. Traces of the 

 moat remain, both in front of the house and at the 

 north-west corner. 



The advowson of Stanford Rivers was acquired soon 

 after the Norman Conquest by the priory 

 CH URCH of Ru milly-le-Comte, which probably had 

 it from Eustace, Count of Boulogne." 

 The history of the advowson down to the 14th century 

 is treated under High Ongar (q.v.) where reasons are 

 given for supposing that about 1280 the parish of 

 Stanford Rivers was doubled by the transfer to it of 

 part of High Ongar. In and after the 14th century the 

 advowson of Stanford Rivers, like that of High Ongar, 

 was held by the king until 1538. In that year, when 

 the advowson of High Ongar was granted to Sir 

 Richard Rich, that of Stanford Rivers was retained by 

 the king. The advowson of Stanford Rivers was no 

 doubt annexed to the Duchy of Lancaster at the same 

 time as the manor and since the reign of Elizabeth I 

 presentations have been made by the Chancellor of the 

 Duchy." 



In about 1254 the rectory of Stanford Rivers was 

 valued at 20 marks.^" In 1291, 1428, and 1535 the 

 value was returned as ;^26 13/. \d." At the tithe- 

 commutation in 1 842 the total income of the rector 

 from tithe rents was fixed at ,^1,038.^^ There were 

 54 acres of glebe. Land tax chargeable upon the 

 rectory, rectorial tithes, and glebe had been redeemed 

 in 1803 by a payment of £1,173.^3 



In 1534 Thomas Grene devised a rent of ^^6 1 3/. 4<3'. 



out of the manor of Bellhouse (see above) for the sup- 

 port of a chantry priest who was to serve annually in the 

 church of Stanford Rivers for 20 years after Grene's 

 death. Grene's will was proved three years later. The 

 stipendiary was being employed in 1 548 when the 

 chantries were dissolved.^ 



Another endowment, for an 'anniversary' in the 

 church, consisted of 10^. rent from land in Stanford 

 Rivers called Knyghtes. In 1 549 this rent was granted 

 by the king to Henry Codenham, and William 

 Pendred, citizen and founder, both of London.^^ 

 William Shelton, by his will proved 1552—3, left 

 money to the parish for the payment of forgotten 

 tithes.^* 



As a valuable Crown living Stanford Rivers has been 

 held by a number of rectors of distinction. Thomas 

 Cole (d. 1 571), one of the Puritans who emigrated to 

 Frankfort-on-the-Main under Mary I, was rector after 

 the accession of Elizabeth I." Richard Vaughan 

 (l 5 50 .''-1607), who became rector in 1 594, was later 

 Bishop successively of Bangor, Chester, and London.^^ 

 Richard Montagu (i 577-1641), controversialist, 

 Bishop of Chichester (1628) and of Norwich (1638), 

 was rector from 161 3 to 1628.^' Although he was a 

 pluralist his favourite residence is said to have been at 

 Stanford Rivers. After he resigned the living an 

 attempt was made to secure it for Peter Delauney, 

 preacher to the French congregation in Norwich: it 

 was stated that this had been promised by James I to 

 reward Delauney for translating the English liturgy 

 into French.'" The rectory was, however, given to 

 Roger Mainwaring, one of the chaplains of Charles I.'' 

 Mainwaring became Bishop of St. Davids in 1635.22 

 Henry Tattam (1789-1868), who became rector in 

 1850, was a distinguished Coptic scholar and chaplain 

 to the queen. 33 



The parish church oi ST. MARG J RET consists of 

 nave, chancel, north porch (blocked), west porch, south 

 vestry, and a west bell-turret with spire. There is a 

 gallery beneath the turret. The walls are mostly of 

 flint rubble with dressings of clunch and other stone. 

 Theupperpart of the chancel is of brick. The church is 

 faced externally with Roman cement. The roof is tiled. 



The nave was built in the middle of the 1 2th century. 

 The original semicircular arch of the south doorway 

 can still be seen internally. Both north and south walls 

 have two single-light round-headed windows of the 

 1 2th century, but in each case those nearest the west 

 end have been blocked and are only visible from the 

 outside. There is a similar blocked window in the 

 west gable with exposed flintwork surrounding it. 

 During the first half of the 14th century two three- 

 light windows were inserted near the east end of the 

 nave, one on the north and one on the south side. 

 These probably replaced small 12th-century lights, 

 which suggests an original arrangement of three 

 windows to each wall. On the east splays of the two 

 14th-century windows wall-paintings, probably con- 



» B.M. Harl. Chart. 55D. 31. 



" FeuJ. Aids, vi, 443. 



■• C138/61. 



" E.R.O., D/DP Mi 126. See above, 

 Manor of Stanford Rivers. 



" L. & P. Hen. Fill, xviii (2), p. 60. 



■♦ E.R.O., D/DP Mi 142. 



■5 E.R.O., D/DP A33/1-3. 



>' E.R.O., D/CT 327. 



" For the descent of this rent see 

 Stanford Rivers manor, above. 



■« f^.C.H. Essex, i, 344. The priory 



probably obtained it early in the 1 2th cent. ; 

 E.A.T. N.s. viii, 227. 



" Newcourt, Repert. ii, 546-7 ; Morant, 

 Essex, i, 1555 Crockford's Cler. Dir. 

 passim. 



»o Lunt, yal. of Norwich, 336. 



" Tax. Eccl. (Rec. Com.), 2iAj Feud. 

 Aids, ii, 205; Falor Eccl. (Rec. Com.), 

 437*. " E.R.O., D/CT 327. 



23 E.R.O., D/DSd T17. The tax had 

 amounted to ,{^32 a year. 



" E301/19/43; ibid. 30/59. 



216 



^5 Cal. Pat. 1549-51, 146. Cf. Thomas 

 Pctit*s legacy. Charities, below. 



" E.A.T. N.s. vii, 167. 



" D.N.B. He was rector 1564-71. 

 Previously Rector of High Ongar. 



'8 D.N.B. 



2» Ibid.; y.C.H. Essex, ii, 49. 



io Cal. S.P. Dom. 1628-9, '^8- 



" Ibid. 217. 



32 D.N.B. (Manwaring). He was rector 

 until 1641. 



" D.N.B. Rector until his death. 



