ONGAR HUNDRED north weald bassett 



was 150 and the annual grant ^^i 54.'* Further income 

 came from the contributions of local churchmen, 21 

 of whom gave 2s. 6d. or more in 1900, and from the 

 original endowment of ^^lo a year." 



By the 1902 Education Act the school passed under 

 the administration of the Essex Education Committee, 

 Epping District, as a non-provided, mixed school. The 

 number of pupils continued to grow for some years. 

 In 1904 there were 176 on the roll, with an average 

 attendance of 160, and the staff comprised 5 teachers 

 and 2 monitresses.'S Average attendance fell to 134 

 in 1910 and loi in 1929. In 1932 the school was 

 reorganized for mixed juniors and infants and by 1938 

 the average attendance was only 71." 



In June 1940 the school was closed because of its 

 proximity to North Weald airfield. For several months 

 a system of home tuition was carried on in the village 

 while some children attended the primary school at 

 Chipping Ongar. In March 1941 a temporary school 

 was opened in the parish at Wildingtree Farm, a two- 

 story red-brick house on the west side of the road to 

 Magdalen Laver. In 1953 this building was still in 

 use but a new primary school was in course of con- 

 struction north of the housing estate at School Green. 

 In May 1952 there were 167 children under 6 

 teachers.' The school was granted controlled status 

 in 1952.2 



The small timber-framed cottage between the road 

 and the churchyard, said to be the original 17th- 

 century school, still exists. The stairs and partitions 

 are probably later insertions. Adjoining the cottage to 

 the east is the 19th-century school, now used for 

 storage purpose and some village activities. The back 

 of this building is of two stories and probably repre- 

 sents the schoolmaster's house of about 1842. The 

 road frontage appears to be mostly of 1871 with later 

 alterations and additions. The barge-boards of the 

 central gable have the inscription: 'Train up a child in 

 the way he will go and when he is old he will not 

 depart from it.' The teacher's house, on the opposite 

 side of the road, is also of red brick and is dated 

 1897. 



Richard Rainsford of Epping (d. 1604) left £^ to 



found a charity. 3 By a deed of 1 6 10, 



CHARITIES of which a copy was extant in 1834, the 



income was to be applied for the relief 



of the poor. There is no later record of the charity.* 



A Dr. Searle,5 at an unknown date, left 36 bushels 

 of barley a year to the poor of the parish. In 1834 the 

 cash equivalent was paid by the rector in respect of 

 land adjoining the glebe. The charge was redeemed 

 in 1936 for £302 stock. In 1949 £9 was given to 36 

 persons in 5^. shares.* 



Mrs. Anna M. Burrell, by will proved 1809, left 

 £400 .stock in trust for equal annual payments to four 

 poor widows of the parish. In 1834 and 1949 the 

 income was given in cash to widows.^ 



George Rayment's Charity was apparently founded 

 by an indenture of 1862, but since payments from it 

 were later made for the repair of a tomb, it may have 

 originated in a will. The endowment is ;^i 50 stock, 

 held in trust for payments every February to four poor 

 persons with dependent families. In 1949 the income 

 seems to have been absorbed in that of other charities: 

 j^28 was given away in small amounts of money apart 

 from gifts to widows. 



The Revd. Frederick Vane, by will proved 1865, 

 left ^^50 in trust for the poor of the parish, to be dis- 

 tributed on St. Thomas's day. About 1 871 the income 

 may have been applied to the parish school. In 1949 

 the income was distributed along with that of the other 

 charities. 



Harriet Smith, by will proved 1887, left ^^300 in 

 trust to maintain the tomb of her parents for 60 years. 

 The surplus, and after that period the whole income, 

 was to be used to distribute bread each year to the poor. 

 The bequest for the tomb was void. In 1949 ;^l os. i id. 

 was spent on bread and the rest of the income was spent 

 with the other charities. 



The North Weald Comforts Fund was formed in 



1949 from the balance of between £500 and ;^6oo 

 left when the District Nursing Association was ter- 

 minated. The fund is to be used to help the sick. In 



1950 j^i7 were spent.8 



o* Schs. under Bd. of Educ. igo2 [Cd. 

 1+90], p. 73, H.C. (1903), li. 

 »' Min. of Educ. File 13/284. 



98 Essex Educ. Cttee. Handk. 1904, 

 150. 



99 Min. of Educ. File 13/284. 



' Ex Inf. Essex Educ. Cttee. 



2 Ibid. 



3 E.R.O., D/P 84/1/1. See Morant, 

 EsseXf i, 50. 



* Rep. Com. Char. {Essex), H.C. 216, 

 pp. 250-2 (183s), xxi(i). 



s Ibid. A John Searle, D.D., was vicar 

 from 1706 to 17 1 5. See Church. 



* Ref. Com. Char. (Essex), pp. 250-2; 

 Char. Com. files. 



7 Ibid. 



8 Char. Com. files. 



295 



