ONGAR HUNDRED stapleford tawney 



STAPLEFORD TAWNEY 



Stapleford Tawney is a parish about 7 miles north 

 of Romford, having an area of 1,656 acres." In 1801 

 the population was 196. It reached 350 in 1841 but 

 has subsequently declined.^ In 195 1 it was only 1 53.' 

 Since 1755 the rectory of Stapleford Tawney has 

 always been held jointly with that of Theydon Mount 

 (q.v.) but the two parishes have remained separate 

 for civil purposes. 



The south of the parish, where the River Roding 

 forms the boundary, is about 100 ft. above sea-level. 

 From here the land rises gradually to over 300 ft. in 

 the north. A stream flowing south into the Roding 

 forms much of the western boundary. A wood called 

 Shales More lies in the south-west of the parish and 

 Bob's Barn Wood lies on the eastern boundary. The 

 road from London and Woodford to Chipping Ongar 

 enters the parish by Passingford Bridge and runs 

 north-east. On the west side of this road, immediately 

 north of the bridge, stands a group of buildings most 

 of which appear to date from the late i8th or early 

 igth century. North-east of this group, at the junction 

 of the main road with a by-road to Theydon Mount 

 and Theydon Garnon, stands Cutler's Forge (see plate 

 facing p. 233) which is said to have belonged to the 

 Cutlers' Company of London in the 1 7th century.'' It is 

 an L-shaped weather-boarded building, the older part 

 of which has a roof truss probably of 17th-century date. 

 The forge is still in use and has two brick furnaces. The 

 cottage next to the forge is also probably of 1 7th-century 

 date with a later frontage of red brick. Farther along the 

 main road to Chipping Ongar, in a park which occupies 

 most of the south-eastern corner of the parish, is 

 Suttons.5 The by-road from Cutler's Forge runs west- 

 ward to Theydon Mount. Running north from this 

 Theydon road is the road to the church a mile north. 

 The site of Stapleford Tawney Hall* lies on the west 

 side of the road, immediately to the south of the church- 

 yard. South of this site stands Great Tawney Hall.^ 

 North of the church stands the former schoolhouse, 

 now the village hall.* Farther north on the east side 

 of the road is the former rectory.' North of this the 

 road turns east to Colliers Hatch, but a by-road con- 

 tinues north to Little Tawney Hall, an 18th-century 

 building later refronted. Bell's Cottages are J mile 

 from the rectory on the east side of the CoHiers Hatch 

 road. These Cottages, formerly Bell's Farm, have an 

 overhanging upper story on the west side and are prob- 

 ably of early 17th-century origin. Off the road, to the 

 south-east of them, stands Howfield Farm, an 18th- 

 century building.'" About ij mile farther north, at 

 Wood Hatch, is the Moletrap Inn. This and its 

 neighbouring cottages are timber-framed, and are 



probably of the early 1 8th century. Half a mile farther 

 north, in the extreme corner of the parish near Colliers 

 Hatch, stands Moat Cottage, which dates from the 

 late 1 8th or early 19th century. The cottage is sur- 

 rounded by a rectangular moat, well preserved and full 

 of water. North of this is a pair of weather-boarded 

 cottages with timber framing of the i6th or early 17th 

 century. There is also a small T-shaped cottage of the 

 same period on Tawney Common south-west of 

 CoUiers Hatch. 



There are frequent references in the records to 

 Passingford Bridge, important because of its position 

 across the Roding on the main road from London to 

 Ongar. In the late i6th century there was uncertainty 

 as to who was responsible for the bridge, probably 

 because it spanned the parish boundary with Staple- 

 ford Abbots." By 1593, however, the county had 

 accepted responsibility for repairing it.'^ In 1785 it 

 was rebuilt in brick. '3 In 1858 the county surveyor 

 commented that the bridge was narrow and 'situate 

 at a very inconvenient angle with the road'.''* It has 

 been strengthened and repaired at various times and 

 one pier was rebuilt in 1952. '5 



The post-office in Stapleford Tawney has from the 

 first been situated a little to the north of Passingford 

 Bridge. It was at first described by the name of the 

 bridge. It was kept by a receiver in 1793.'* In 1813 

 it was on the daily ride between Ongar and Epping." 

 In 1 88 1 a money-order office was established,' * and 

 in 1896 the name changed to Stapleford Tawney." 

 In 1 897 a telegraph office was set up under guarantee,^" 

 and in 1930 a rural auto-telephone exchange.^' The 

 present post-office building appears to date from the 

 first half of the 19th century. 



Water was supplied by the Herts, and Essex Water- 

 works Co. in 1949 to most of the parish." Electricity 

 was laid on in December 1932 but not on Tawney 

 Common .23 The village hall was formerly the school.^ 



In 1 77 1 a writer noted that Stapleford Tawney 

 'hath but few houses in it and, like the other [Staple- 

 ford], seems to carry on no other business than that of 

 husbandry'. 25 Stapleford Tawney is still a rural parish 

 devoted almost exclusively to agriculture. 



The lords of the capital manor were resident in 

 Stapleford Tawney at the end of the 15th century^* 

 and for at least a short period, 1550-85, in the i6th 

 century." After 1585 they no longer lived in the 

 parish.^' The lords of Buttons may have been resident 

 in the 13th century but they did not live in the parish 

 for some three centuries after 13 12. 2' During this 

 period the manor was usually farmed out on long 

 leases. 30 Since the Luthers purchased the manor in the 



' O.S. 2^ in. Map, sheets 51/49, 51/59, 

 52/40, 52/50. 



2 r.C.H. Essex, u, 350. 

 ^ Census, 1951. 



* Inf. from a painted inscription 

 (modern) inside the forge. By 1649, how- 

 ever, the forge was owned by Thomas 

 Luther, lord of Buttons manor: E.R.O., 

 D/DSd 4. 



* See below. Manor of Suttons. 



' See below, Manor of Stapleford 

 Tawney Hall. ' Ibid. 



* Sec below. Schools. 

 9 Sec below, Church. 



'° The building was described as How- 



field House in Chapman and Andr^, Map 

 of Essex, lyyj, sheet xvi. 

 ■■ E.R.O., Q/SR 25/7, 23/25, 39/30, 



+V33. 74/37- 



" Ibid. 123/29. 



*3 E. Jervoise, Anct, Bridges of Mid- and 

 East. Eng. 136. 



■♦ E.R.O., Q/ABz 3. 



■5 Inf. from local police constable. 



" Gary's English Atlas, 1793. 



" Western's Post Office map, 18 13. 

 Sec Chipping Ongar, p. 158. 



" P.M.G. Mins. 1 88 1, vol. 207, min. 



945- 

 " Ibid. 1896, vol. 573, min. 1191. 



" Ibid. 1897, vol. 615, min. 12547. 



^^ Ibid. 1930, min. 11645. 



^^ Inf. from Herts. & Essex Water- 

 works Co. and from Rector of Theydon 

 Mount and Stapleford Tawney. 



^J Inf. from rector and East. Electr. Bd. 



^* See below, Schools. 



^' Hist. Essex by Gent, iv, 40. 



2* E.R. liii, no. 245, p. 44. Sec below. 

 Church. 



^7 E.R. Ixii, no. 246, pp. 46, 50. 



^' Ibid. y. 51. See below, Manor of 

 Stapleford Tawney. 



29 See below. Manor of Suttons. 



3» Ibid. 



233 



Hh 



