ONGAR HUNDRED 



THEYDON BOIS 



about ^165. A bell and turret and two rooms at the 

 rear were added later. ^^ In 191 3 the iron room was 

 moved to a new site on the south side of Ivy Chimneys 

 Road about 100 yds. east of the junction with Theydon 

 Road. At present (1954) there is a flourishing Sunday 

 school here, and evensong is held every Sunday. The 

 building is not consecrated.*' 



Roman Catholic services have been held at Theydon 



Bois since 1927. They 



ROMAN CATHOLICISM are at present conducted 



in the village hall by the 

 priest from Epping.'" 



In 1834 the house of James CaviU at Theydon Bois 

 was hcensed for the worship 

 PROTESTANT of Protestant dissenters.'" 



NONCONFORMITY A Baptist church was 

 founded here about 1885.92 

 In 1900 it had 20 members and 60 Sunday school 

 children. '3 The membership rose steadily to 85 in 

 195 1, when there were 135 children in the Sunday 

 school; the church then had a resident minister.'* The 

 present building, of brown brick with round-headed 

 windows, stands on the south-west side of Theydon 

 Green. It is dated 1894'^ and seems to have been 

 altered and restored later. 



No local records are known to survive of the parish 

 government and poor relief in 

 POOR RELIEF Theydon Bois before 1832.'* 

 Returns made to parliamentary 

 inquiries provide details of the cost of poor relief for 

 some years in the late i8th and early 19th centuries. 

 In 1776 the parish spent £100 on relief" In the three 

 years 1783—5 the average sum was ^£166.'' In 1801 

 it had risen to ;^534." Between that date and 1820 

 it fluctuated considerably, the highest figure being 

 ^592 (in 1820) and the lowest £28^ (1803).' For 

 the years 1803—9 it never exceeded ^^350. After 1809 

 it was never under ;^4oo except in 1 8 1 5 when it was 

 £360. A parish poor house existed in about 1800.2 j^ 

 1836 Theydon Bois became part of the Epping Poor. 

 Law Union. 



Despite a rapidly increasing population there was 

 little educational provision in Theydon 

 SCHOOLS Bois in the early 19th century, possibly 

 because of the absence of a resident 

 clergyman or landlord and the poverty of the inhabi- 

 tants. 3 In 1807 and 181 8 there was no school in the 

 parish.* In 1822 a small school was set up in union 

 with the National Society, but in 1828 it had only 8 

 pupils and in 1833 only 12, all of whom paid fees.s 

 This was probably the school which in 1839 had 14 

 pupils and was administered in connexion with a 

 Sunday school. Conditions were by then more favour- 

 able to the establishment of a proper school. Both the 



Sunday school and a dame school in the village were 

 well attended, an adult school existed and it was 

 thought that there would be local support for a new 

 school.* In 1840 the curate organized the building 

 of a schoolroom for 60 children on a freehold site 

 given by the patron of the curacy, Mrs. Dare. The 

 National Society gave j^3o towards the building, the 

 government £^^2, and Mrs. Dare apparently ;^loo. 

 The total cost was ^^3°° *nd the deficit was met by 

 other local subscribers. The school was affiliated to 

 the National Society. The trustees were to be the 

 curate and churchwardens. They and 12 parish 

 representatives were to act as managers. It was pro- 

 posed that the school should be financed partly by 

 annual subscriptions and partly by fees of 2/ a week 

 for each child.' 



The school seems to have made progress from the 

 start. In 1846-7 it had 40 children under a mistress 

 and 2 monitors who between them were paid £3$ a 

 year. 8 In 185 1-2 an inspector found the schoolroom 

 attractive and the children neatly dressed. The mistress, 

 he reported, was untrained, but seemed 'well adapted 

 by character for such a school, where no great amount 

 of intellect is required and where the attainments are 

 necessarily confined'. 'Arithmetic', he added, 'moderate. 

 Geography etc., mere names.'' Attendance probably 

 increased at this time and in i860 the building was 

 enlarged at considerable cost, the government granting 

 j^ioo and local subscribers making large donations.'" 

 In 1 87 1 there was estimated to be accommodation for 

 112 children, not quite sufficient to ensure universal 

 elementary education in the parish." The population 

 continued to grow and in 1894 the school was enlarged 

 to provide places for Z2J.'^ In 1898 the average atten- 

 dance was given as 87. '^ In 1900 it was 109, and in 

 1903 the school was again enlarged to provide 188 

 places.'* Local subscribers contributed generously to 

 the school: in 1900 66 were giving 2S. bd. a year or 

 more. '5 The government grant was ,^45 in 1893 and 

 ^i 17 in 1902.'* 



By the Education Act of 1902 the school passed 

 under the administration of the Essex Education Com- 

 mittee, Epping District, as a non-provided school. In 

 1906 the average attendance was 150." In 19 12 the 

 school was transferred to the Essex Education Com- 

 mittee and became a provided council school. In 1929 

 the average attendance was 144. In 1932 the school 

 was reorganized for mixed juniors and infants. In 

 1948, owing to increased attendance, temporary 

 accommodation was hired at the local telephone 

 exchange.'* In May 1952 there were 6 teachers and 

 206 children." The original school is a one-story 

 building of brown brick with a slate roof, bearing the 

 inscription 'Theydon Bois School 1840'. It stands 



«« A. A. West, MS. Hist Theydon Bois 

 (per Mr. A. E. B. Williams). 



«» Inf. from Mr. A. E. B. Williams. 



«» Brent-wood (R.C.) Dioc. Year Bk. 

 1953. <" E.R.O., Q/RRw I. 



»2 Kelly'! Dir. Essex (1886); Char. Com. 

 files. 



" Baptist Handhk. 1900. 



'* Ibid. 1901 f., 194.0, 1951. 



»5 Cf. E.R. iii, 157. 



«' Vestry Min. Bks. survive for 1832- 

 99: inf. from Mr. A. E. B. Williams, 

 churchwarden. These are not noted in 

 Essex Par. Recs. 



" E.R.O., Q/CR i/i. «8 Ibid. 



'' Figures for 1801 — 16 are from E.R.O., 

 C/CR 1/9. 



■ Figs, for 1817-20 are from E.R.O., 

 Q/CR 1/12. 2 E.R.O., D/DBx P2. 



J E.R.O., D/P 30/28/19; inf. from 

 Nat. Soc. 



4 E.R.O., D/AEM 2/4; Reins. Educ. 

 Poor., H.C. 224, p. 273 (1819), ix (l). 



5 Nat. Soc. Rep. 1828, p. 83; Educ. 

 Enquiry Ahstr. H.C. 62, p. 291 (i835),xli. 



* E.R.O., D/P 30/28/19; inf. from 

 Nat. Soc. 



7 Nat. Soc. Enquiry into Ch. Schs. 

 1846—7, pp. 18-19; Min. of Educ. File 

 13/365; Mins. of Educ. Cttee. of Council, 

 1857 [2380], p. 96, H.C. (1857-8), xlv; 

 inf. from Nat. Soc. 



8 Nat. Soc. Enquiry into Ch. Schs. 

 1846-7, pp. 18-19. 



» Mins. of Educ. Cttee. of Council, 1 85 I 

 [1480], p. 286, H.C. (1852), xli. 



'» Rep. of Educ. Cttee. of Council, 1863 

 [3349]. P- +39. H.C. (1864), xlv. 



" Min. of Educ. File 13/365. 



'2 Schs. under Bd. of Educ. 1902 [Cd. 

 1490], p. 74, H.C. (1903), H. 



'3 Kelly's Dir. Essex- {\%cj%). 



'■• Min. of Educ. File 13/365; Educ. 

 Cttee. Handbk. 1904, p. 151. 



's Min. of Educ. File 13/365. 



'<■ Retns. of Schs. 1893 [C. 7529] 

 H.C. (1894), Ixv; Schs. under 

 Educ. 1902. 



" Kelly's Dir. Essex (1906). 



'* Min. of Educ. File 13/365. 



'» Inf. from Essex Educ. Cttee. 



p. 716, 

 Bd. of 



257 



l1 



