ONGAR HUNDRED 



THEYDON BOIS 



Elwes. Their son John, born in 17 14, was heir to his 

 uncle Sir Hervey Elwes and took the name and arms 

 of Elwes in 175 1, succeeding to Sir Hervey's estates 

 on his death in 1763.9^ Both Sir Hervey and John 

 Elwes were notorious misers. John disposed in his will 

 (dated 1786) of property worth about ^^500,000. He 

 had inherited property in London about the Hay- 

 market and built Portland Place, Portman Square, and 

 much of Marylebone. He died in 1789 and was suc- 

 ceeded by his grand-nephew John Timms, who took 

 the name and arms of Hervey-Elwes in 1793. '3 The 

 descendants of John Hervey-Elwes owned Theydon 

 Hall until 191 9. «♦ The property has since been 

 broken up. The house is now owned by Mr. Gordon 

 Norton and the farm-yard by Mr. Webster of Parsonage 

 Farm. 95 



In 1850 the Theydon Hall estate consisted of 425 

 acres in Theydon Bois."* It also included 149 acres 

 in Theydon Garnon when the tithes of that parish 

 were commuted in 1840." The owner of the estate 

 also owned part of the tithes on his property.'* 



The front range of the present Theydon Hall was 

 rebuilt or added during the last quarter of the 1 8th 

 century. It consists of a main two-story block of yellow 

 brick flanked by single-story wings. The round-headed 

 doorway has fluted pilasters and a good semicircular 

 lead fanlight. To the left of the doorway the frontage 

 breaks forward to form a two-story bay. The marble 

 fireplaces, cornices, and doorcases of the principal 

 rooms have ornament of the Adam type. The style is 

 reminiscent of the great building schemes which were 

 being carried out in London at this period and this 

 part of the house may well be the work of John Elwes. 

 At the back is a timber-framed structure which is 

 thought to be the earlier house. It appears to date from 

 the second half of the 17th century. It is now derelict. 



The former manor house of Birch Hall lay between 

 Birch Hall Farm and the present mansion. By the end 

 of the 1 8th century it had been demolished and in 

 1848 the site was known as 'Old House Ground'." 

 The present house is of red brick. It was built in 1 892.' 

 The two lodges and several of the cottages in Coppice 

 Row appear to be of the same period. 



The manor of GREGORIES occupied the north- 

 east corner of the parish and probably took its name 

 from Gregory son of Ralph who held J knight's fee in 

 Theydon of the barony of Valognes in 1235-6.^ This 

 Gregory may be identical with the Gregory de 

 Theydon who was a verderer of the Forest of Essex in 

 1250.3 The manor was originally known as that of 

 Theydon Bois, without anything to distinguish it in 

 name from the capital manor. On one occasion during 

 the 15 th century it was actually found necessary to 

 show that the two manors were distinct.* 



A document drawn up in a 15th-century lawsuit 

 traces the history of the manor from Amy, wife of 

 Henry Boys, who alienated a tenement and lands in 

 Theydon Bois to her son Harry. He conveyed to 

 Stephen Morice, who in turn conveyed to Gilbert son 



of Gregory de Theydon.' The difficulty in accepting 

 this descent is that the property could not have been 

 held by Gregory, from whom the manor was probably 

 named. Perhaps, however, the tenement referred to 

 in the 15th-century descent was added to an earlier 

 holding which was already in the possession of Gregory 

 in 1235-6. In I 591 an estate that was probably the 

 manor of Gregories was said to be held of the manor of 

 Theydon Bois by knight service.* This and the other 

 evidence strongly suggests that Gregories was origin- 

 ally part of the capital manor of Theydon Bois. 



A Gilbert de Theydon was holding lands in Essex 

 in I29i7andin 1299 the homage and service of Gilbert 

 de Theydon from his tenement in Theydon Bois were 

 conveyed with the manor of Hertingfordbury (Herts.) 

 by Henry de Maule to Agnes de Valence.' This con- 

 veyance is probably that mentioned in the Waltham 

 Abbey cartulary as being without legal force (see 

 above). Gilbert de Theydon was dead by 1299." 

 His heir was his son Gilbert, then a minor. Agnes de 

 Valence claimed the right of wardship and seized the 

 estates of Gilbert.'" Before January 1301, however, 

 Walter de Huntyngfeld appears to have acquired the 

 custody of the lands, and to have forfeited it to the king 

 for his default before the justices of the Bench against 

 Henry de Enefeld who vouched him to warranty 

 against Rose, Gilbert's widow." Agnes de Valence 

 died in 1308. The inquisition taken after her death 

 makes no mention of any rights in Theydon Bois.'^ 

 Later in the Middle Ages Waltham Abbey appears to 

 have been exercising rights of overlordship over 

 Gregories.'^ 



In 1323 Gilbert son of Gilbert de Theydon, for a 

 consideration of 40 marks, conveyed to William de 

 Clyf, clerk, the manor of Theydon Bois (i.e. Gregories) 

 and 60 acres of land in Theydon Garnon and Epping 

 Heath, of which property one-third was in reversion 

 only, it being held by Thomas de Chetingdon of 

 London and his wife Joan, in dower.'* In 1324 there 

 is the note of a final concord (which may not actually 

 have been levied) by which William de Clyf conveyed 

 the same property to Robert Spynay and his heirs.' s 

 In 1 326 the property, apparently without any part then 

 in reversion, was conveyed by Richard de Clyf to 

 Alice Spynay, to hold for her life with successive 

 remainders to her son William and his heirs, and then 

 to James, his brother, and his heirs.'* 



In 1 340 John de Goldingham and three others, pre- 

 sumably feolTees, conveyed the manors of Theydon 

 Garnon (q.v.) and Theydon Bois (i.e. Gregories) to 

 William Gernon and Isabel his wife, with remainder 

 to their son Thomas and his heirs. The fine is endorsed 

 with the claim of Gilbert, son and heir of Gilbert de 

 Theydon." From 1340 until the death of Elizabeth 

 Hampden in 1538 the manor of Gregories descended 

 along with that of Theydon Garnon. 



By a fine levied in 1345 John Colepepir granted 

 Gregories to Walter Colepepir for life with remainder " 

 to Thomas son of William Gernon, Lucy his wife, and 



«2 r.C.H. NortAanH. Geneal. Vol. 68- 

 6<);D.N.B.]ohn Elwes. 



" D.N.B. John Elwes. 



«♦ E.R.O., 5j/eCa/. B. 615. 



" Inf. from Mrs. Norton. 



»' E.R.O., D/CT 34.9. 



" E.R.O., D/CT 350. 



»« See below. Church. 



« E.R.O., D/DBi Pi (Estate Map, 

 1799); E.R.O., D/CT 3+9. 



' The house was built by Gerald 

 Buxton : A. A. West, MS. Hist. Theydon 

 Bois. 



' Bi. of Fees, 578. 



3 W. R. Fisher, Forest of Essex, 374. 



■♦ E.A.T. N.s.v,zz. 



5 Ibid. 8. 



^ See below. 



' Cal. Close, 1288-96, 191. 



' Feet of F. Essex, ii, 86. 



« £.^.r. N.s. V, 2<r3 n. 



'» Ibid. 



■' Cal. Close, 1 296-1 302, 474-5. 



'2 Cal. Inq. p.m. v, p. 105. 



" E.A.T. N.s. V, 22. 



■♦ Feet ofF. Essex, ii, 207. 



■5 Ibid. 242. 



'6 Ibid. 225. 



" Feet of F. Essex, Hi, ^^. 



253 



