BRAUGHING HUNDRED sawbridgeworth 



Rainbow Field and Parrot's Field on Rowney Farm, 

 White Moor, White Field, and Mountain Mead on 

 Blunt's Farm, Great and Little Battles (arable) and 

 Battle Wood, part of Gilston Glebe. 6 Beaniield, 

 called Bell Mead, was left to the church for the 

 :ewn on the floor 



purpose of growing beans 

 of the church. 



An interesting agricultural enterprise i 

 here by the late Mr. John Prout. In 

 acquired Blunt's or Blount's Farm, consistii 

 4.50 acres on the chalky boulder clay, and th: 

 the results obtained from the Rothamsted e; 

 to practical farming. The farm was laid < 

 production of a continuous series of corn crops, and 

 for this purpose was divided into fields of about 50 

 acres, each of which was dressed with chemical 

 manures and cultivated by steam ploughs. Mr. John 

 Prout carried on the farm until 1894, when he was 

 succeeded by his son Mr. Willi-m Prout. 7 The 



vas begun 

 1861 he 

 g of about 



; peri men ts 

 tut for the 



as it is now generally called) running at right angles to 

 the London Road (here called the Cambridge Road) 

 and Knight Street forming the fourth side of the 

 figure. The Newtown lies along Barker Lane, which 

 is the north side of the parallelogram. The names 

 Knight Street and Cock Street are as old at least as 

 the 1 6th century. 8 A cross called Knight's Cross 

 was apparently situated in the former street, whilst 

 from it a road led to the Two Crosses (Le Too- 

 crowches) which were in Sayesfield. 8 Church Street, 

 a continuation of Cock Street, leads to the parish 

 church of St. Mary. To the south-west of the 

 church is the Square, which was once the market-place. 

 There is now no market, but two fairs are still held 

 on the Fair Green, one in April and the other in 

 October. The vicarage lies to the south of the 

 church. In the London Road is a Congregational 

 chapel representing a dissenting community dating 

 back as far as 1669. In 1 814. a chapel for Indepen- 



Sawbri DC E worth : Hand 



Crown Inn 



nursery gardens of Messrs. Rivers & Sons date back 

 to about 1720, when they were established by John 

 Rivers, a native of Berkshire. Mr. Thomas Rivers, 

 who succeeded to the business in 1827, formed his 

 famous collection of roses here. He also introduced 

 the 'Early Rivers' plum, which has done good service 

 to English gardeners by extending the native fruit 

 season. His son, Mr. T. A. H. Rivers, is the present 

 head of the firm. 



The town of Sawbridgeworth lies on the east of 

 the parish near the Stort and on the London Road. 

 It forms a parallelogram in shape, Barkers Lane (now 

 called Station Road) and Cock Street (or Bell Street, 



lieu 



Apportionment of rent-charge 

 of tiihej, 1838. Returns and map u 

 Bd. of Agric. 



1 KC.H. ff„-a. ii, 138; Diet. Nat. 

 Biag. b.t. John Prout. 



8 Ct. R. (Duchy of Lane), bdle. 77 , 



dents and Baptists was certified at Sawbridgeworth ; 

 this was superseded by a new chapel built in i862> 

 There are two elementary schools, one to the north 

 and the other to the south of the church. To the 

 north of the town is a corn-mill, probably occupying 

 the site of the mill mentioned in the Domesday 

 Survey. The eastern part of the town is for the 

 most part occupied by malt-houses, malt-making being 

 the chief industry. b 



A number of old houses still remain in and about 

 the town. The Church House, situated at the 

 churchyard gates, is an old building with good 

 beams. This was formerly church property, and 



no. 1000. Cherchegate Street, which occurs 

 in^S.isperhapsaneariiernameforCoct: 

 Street, or may correspond with the present 

 Church Street (Subs. R. bdle. 242, no 10) 

 » Ct. R. (Duchy of Lane), bdle. 77 , 



333 



10 Urwick, Nonconformity fa 

 686-7. One place of meeting for P 



ten™ at the beginning of the 1 8 th « , 



was Hyde Hall, certified by Strang 

 Jocelynin 1 71 5-1 6 (ibid.). 



.by. 



