Welcome to ESAH160 the news blog of the 'Essex Society for Archaeology and History'. The blog complements our new website, esah1852.org.uk.
Sunday, 27 March 2016
Some Essex Closing-Rings 5
Tuesday, 22 March 2016
Colchester Castle Museum: Fenwick Treasure on Public View from 24 March 2016
Fenwick Treasure set to be unveiled at
Colchester Castle
The Fenwick
Treasure is set to be unveiled to the public from Thursday 24 March
2016.
Visitors to
the Castle will be able to view first hand a fascinating display of these
captivating archaeological finds, which are of international significance.
The objects and their stories really bring the vivid tale of the Boudican
uprising to life. Find out more about making a visit here: www.cimuseums.org.uk/fenwickhoard
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Monday, 21 March 2016
High Country History Group: Zeppelins Over Essex, 31 March 1916. Thursday 31 March 2016.
Zeppelins over Essex: 31
March 1916
Blackmore
residents had a very close shave a hundred years ago when the German Zeppelin L14
dropped bombs in the parish. The stained
glass in what is now the kitchen of St Laurence Church commemorates the night
with these words: “This window is erected as a thank-offering to Almighty God
for the protection in the Great Air Raid of March 31st 1916” (see illustration).
Andrew
Smith has researched what happened that night and tells the story in a
presentation to be given to the High Country History Group on 31 March 2016
(8pm Toot Hill Village Hall), and this summer at the Friends of St Laurence
Church Blackmore AGM.
The
Rector of Stondon Massey, Revd. Reeve recorded details in his ‘Notes for a
Parish History’: He lived at the Rectory,
what is now Stondon Massey House.
“At
11.45[p.m.] a Zeppelin dropped a series of bombs at the point where is the
junction of Stondon with the parishes of Blackmore and Kelvedon Hatch: within
easy distance of Soap House Farm. A
machine-gun had been lately established at Kelvedon Hatch to watch for the
raiders … causing it to drop the bombs hurriedly.
“Large
numbers of persons from Brentwood and the surrounding district visited the spot
next day, and the large craters caused by the bombs, some 15 feet in diameter
and varying from 3 to 9 feet in depth, were the astonishment of all. The whole saucer-like cavities were left
entirely clean by the explosion. … Nine of the thirteen holes were quickly
found: and fortunately no life was lost or building injured. … Our windows at
Stondon Rectory were violently shaken and considerable alarm was naturally
caused.
“Further
enquiry shows that the bombs dropped on March 31st fell between the
Soap House and the corner of Blackmore between the Church and Miss Barrett’s
house. Two were dropped in the lane near
the site of the old Blackmore Mill. The remaining
holes were to be found in a straight-line across the fields to Miss Barrett’s
at very short intervals. Many panes of
glass were broken in the house by the concussion.”
Four
people were killed in Braintree that night by the same Zeppelin crew. To hear the full story come along to Andrew’s
talk.
Sunday, 20 March 2016
Some Essex Closing-Rings 4
Thursday, 17 March 2016
Book Sale at Morant Lecture: 19 March 2016
Members coming to the Morant Lecture at Stebbing this Saturday will be able to browse and buy the latest selection we have of surplus books. To see the list go to www.blackmorehistory.co.uk/esah.html
Wednesday, 16 March 2016
Philip Morant (1700-1770)
The biography of Philip Morant (1700-1770), written for the dedication of memorials to the Essex historian on 15 March 1966.
PHILIP MORANT, younger son of
Stephen Morant and Mary nee Filleul, was born in the St. Saviour's parish,
Jersey, on the 6th October, 1700.
Proceeding
from the Grammar School, Abingdon, Berks., he matriculated at Pembroke College,
Oxford, 17th December, 1717, and was admitted to the degree of Bachelor of
Arts, 21st September, 1721. Although Philip Morant passed for the Master of
Arts degree at Oxford he arranged to be incorporated at Sidney Sussex College,
Cambridge, taking his M.A. from that University, 10th October, 1729.
By
Letters-commissory from the Bishop of London the Bishop of Norwich admitted him
to Deacon's Orders, at St. Martin's-in-the-Fields, Westminster, on 23rd
September, 1722. Edward Gibson, Bishop of London, ordained him Priest,
20th December, 1724.
·
From
September 1722 till August 1732, Nicholas Tindal, Vicar of Great Waltham, was
assisted in his cure by the young Morant, as the account books of the Black
Chapel show, but then Caroline, Queen Regent, nominated him to the chaplaincy
of the English Episcopal Church at Amsterdam.
In quick succession there followed these preferments:
Rectory of Shellow Bowells. From 20 April 1733, to November 1734
Rectory of Broomfield: From 17 January 1734, to April 1738
Rectory of Chignal Smealey: From 19 September 1735, to April 1743
Rectory of St. Mary's, Colchester: From 9 March 1738, to April 1770
Rectory of Wickham Bishops: 21 January 1743, to October 1745
Rectory of Aldham: from 14 September 1745, to October 1770.
In
November, 1735, Mary, Dowager Countess
of Cassillis, appointed him her private
chaplain. Never did he hold
more than two benefices at one time.
On
6th February, 1739, he married Anne, daughter of Solomon
Stebbing of the Brook House,
Great Tey. Their only daughter, Anna Maria, was born 25th November,
1739; she afterwards married Thomas Astle, Keeper of the Records in the Tower.
When Mrs. Morant died, 20th July,
1767, aged 69, Morant moved to his daughter's home at Battersea Rise, London,
and it was while returning by water from the Temple to Vauxhall, en route for
South Lambeth, that he caught the chill from which he died, 25th November,
1770. He was buried beside his wife in the Old Church at Aldham and the stone
marking that spot is now re-erected in the present Aldham Church with the
Tablet presented by the Society near to it.
In the chancel of the Aldham church is the Latin Epitaph penned by
Thomas Astle, his son-in-law, while the east window of the church was placed
there as a memorial to his memory in 1854.
It was
on 20th November, 1755, that the Historian of Essex was elected to the
Fellowship of the Society of Antiquaries of London. He had published his History of Colchester in 1748 and was
preparing The History and Antiquities of
Essex, 2 vols., folio, 1760-1768.
The
Essex Archaeological Society has cared
for the grave of the historian for some years now but so that the stone might
be preserved was pleased to assist in saving this by placing it in the present
Aldham Church. To mark his long association with the
Borough of Colchester an armorial tablet is placed in the church of St.
Mary-at-the Walls, Colchester.
·
Aldham's
Church of Morant's day and the former Rectory of St. Mary-at-the-Walls,
Colchester, have been demolished but work which the historian initiated goes on
and almost two hundred years after his death his hand still guides
researchers.
JOHN S. APPLEBY, F.R.Hist.S.
Hon. Secretary,
E.A.S.
Tuesday, 15 March 2016
Morant Anniversary.
Morant Commemorations Fifty Years Ago
From the Society’s Annual
Report 1966: “The work of the Revd. Philip Morant,
M.A., F.S.A., was further remembered by the events of Tuesday, 15th March,
1966, when, at Aldham Church, The Patron of the Society [Sir John Ruggles-Brise]
unveiled a memorial tablet in Stone, commemorating the removal of the tombstone
of the historian and his wife from the older churchyard to the sanctuary of the
present church. At St. Mary-at-the-Walls Church, Colchester [now Colchester
Arts Centre] Sir John Ruggles-Brise, unveiled a carved memorial tablet of oak;
this tablet, bearing the arms of Morant, is placed in the tower
entrance. The Rt. Revd. Dr. Roderic Coote, Bishop of Colchester, Vice-President
of the Society, dedicated the tablets. The Revd. C. Philip Gilman, Rector of
Aldham, and the Revd. Ralph Stevens, Rector of St. Mary-at-the-Walls, conducted
the services in their respective parishes. The Orders of Service [now available
in digital format] included a biography of Morant written by the Hon. Secretary
[John Appleby].”
Monday, 14 March 2016
Morant Lecture at Stebbing. Saturday 19 March 2016
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Friends Meeting House, Stebbing |
The next meeting of the Essex Society for Archaeology and History will be held at 2pm on Saturday 19 March 2016. The venue: The Friends Meeting House, Stebbing. This will be the annual Morant Lecture held in honour of the great Essex historian. It will be a talk about the village of Stebbing and the various projects that are happening, followed by a tour of the village then refreshments. Stebbing is a small village in north Essex situated to the north of the Roman road - Stane Street. Stebbing has a Grade I listed church and the earthworks of a medieval castle.
Sunday, 13 March 2016
Some Essex Closing-Rings 3
Some Essex Closing Rings
This is the title of an
unpublished portfolio of photographs taken by Fred Brand and S E Lloyd, sent to
Revd. G Montagu Benton in 1935. In
February 2016 it was given to the Society by the family of the late Kenneth
Mabbitt and added to our archives pro tem (as S/LIB/9/51). Thirty-one items have been digitised, 29 of which are photographs of closing rings on Essex
church doors with a sketch showing measurements alongside. Frederick Joseph
Brand (1857-1939) had been a member of EAS since 1899. His obituary appeared in
TEAS n.s. 23, p192-195, in which Benton mentions his enthusiastic interest in
the topic. “He was engaged on this survey, which was nearing completion,
practically up to the outbreak of war”. He took many photographs on the Society’s
excursions and was “usually the last to regain his seat on the
motor-coach”. Stanley E Lloyd, of
Goodmayes, has been a member of EAS since 1923.
Examples here from Great Yeldham, Hempstead and Heybridge.
Saturday, 12 March 2016
Friends of Essex Churches Spring Study Day: 4 May 2016
The Friends of Essex Churches Spring Study Day is open also to non members.
![]() |
Clavering Old Guildhall, leading to church |
FRIENDS
OF ESSEX CHURCHES TRUST
www.foect.org.uk
CHURCH
VISITS
SPRING
STUDY DAY
_________________________________________________________________________
WEDNESDAY
4 MAY 2016
Everyone
is welcome to join Essex historian
Dr
Christopher Starr
for interesting
talks in four of our favourite medieval churches
in north-west Essex
Time
10.30 St Mary the Virgin, Arkesden (Quicksie Hill, CB11 4HB)
11.30 St Mary & St
Clement, Clavering (Church End, CB11
4QX)
12.30 Lunch, own
arrangements, there are pubs and places for picnics in the vicinity
14.00 All
Saints, Rickling (Brick Kiln Lane, CB11 3YL)
15.00 St Mary the Virgin, Wendens Ambo (Church Path, CB11
4JZ)
16.00 Light refreshments will be
available.
The
order in which we visit the churches is determined by the availability of
refreshments,
as
these are kindly provided by the church a suitable donation would be
appreciated please.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To: Mrs Susan Clark-Starr, 10 Kings Meadow, Sudbury,
Suffolk, CO10 0HP
Tel:
01787 242121 Mob: 07956 463628 Email:
susanclarkstarr@hotmail.co.uk
I/We
wish to attend the FOECT Study Day on Wednesday 4 May 2016
and enclose a cheque made payable to FRIENDS
OF ESSEX CHURCHES TRUST
for
£............... (Members
£7.00 Guests £10.00)
Name/s.......................................................................................................................................................
Address......................................................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................................................................
Tel. Nos.....................................................................................................................................................
Email..........................................................................................................................................................
Signature.................................................................... Date
.....................................................................
We aim to raise
£1000 for FOECT on this Study Day and welcome any extra donations.
The next Autumn
Study Day will be held on Saturday 8 October 2016 in central Essex.
Charity
No. 236033
Sunday, 6 March 2016
Some Essex Closing-Rings 2
Some Essex Closing Rings
This is the title of a
portfolio of photographs taken by Fred Brand and S E Lloyd, sent to Revd. G
Montagu Benton in 1935. In February 2016
it was given to the Essex Society for Archaeology and History by the family of the late Kenneth Mabbitt and added
to our archives pro tem (as S/LIB/9/51).
Thirty-one items have been digitised, 29 are photographs of closing rings on Essex church doors with a sketch showing
measurements alongside. Frederick Joseph Brand (1857-1939) had been a member of
EAS since 1899. His obituary appears in TEAS ns XXIII p192-195, in which Benton
mentions his enthusiastic interest in the topic. “He was engaged on this
survey, which was nearing completion, practically up to the outbreak of war”. He was often busy taking photographs on the
Society’s excursions and “usually the last to regain his seat on the
motor-coach”. Stanley E Lloyd, of
Goodmayes, has been a member of EAS since 1923.
Illustrated here: East Horndon, Eastwood, Elsenham, Great Waltham.
Thursday, 3 March 2016
Historical Association. Change to Advertised Programme. 5 March 2016
There is a change to the March talk
in our 2015-6 programme due to unforeseen circumstances. Instead, at short
notice, Dr. Jennifer Ward, medieval and Essex historian, has agreed to talk on 'Elizabeth
De Burgh: her household and transport'.
The talk will be
on Saturday 5th March at 2.30pm at Trinity Methodist Church,
Rainsford Road, Chelmsford, CM1 2XB.
Tuesday, 1 March 2016
British Association for Local History National Conference. Suffolk. 8-10 April 2016
Tim Lomas, BALH Chairman writes:
The British Association for Local History in association with
University Campus Suffolk invite you to the BALH National Conference Friday 8th
April to Sunday 10th April.
Come and join us, either for the weekend (Friday 5.30pm to Sunday
1pm) or for the Saturday programme.
Whole conference - Friday 5.30 to Sunday 1 pm, including Friday
dinner - £60
Whole conference - Friday 5.30 to Sunday 1 pm, excluding Friday
dinner - £40
Saturday only (including coffee, tea and buffet lunch) - £30
BALH’s national conference, is a great opportunity to meet and
talk with other local historians, hear about how local history is being
practised by a range of people in a variety of contexts, and get to know new
places - this year UCS’s smart, 21st century building in the
historic waterfront and town of Ipswich, in Suffolk, one of the most active of
local history counties.
The 2016 national conference recognises the uniquely valuable work
and fresh ideas that volunteers are bringing to local history. Based throughout
on actual projects, the conference will explore varied examples from the rich
array of current and recent work in Suffolk – the topics, the activities, the
findings and how they are achieved. Using these and other contributions it will
consider more generally how grass-roots historians, working with a variety of
partners and supporters, can contribute to taking local history forward at a
time of change in some familiar formats and resources.
CONFERENCE PROGRAMME
Friday 8 April
5.30 pm Registration for conference attendees
6.00 pm Welcome and Opening Lecture - Open to all Professor
Chris Scull: Saxon Rendlesham Re-visited
7.45 pm approx. Optional dinner for conference attendees
Saturday 9 April Suffolk’s Local History: past and present
9.30 am David Dymond, Suffolk’s Local History:
achievements and prospects
10.15 am Matthew Champion, Medieval Graffiti: the lost voices of
England’s churches.
11.00 am Coffee
11.30 am Tony Bone, Barber’s Point: how a small local history
society funded and ran four community digs.
12.15 pm Kate Chantry, Some keys to Suffolk’s medieval past
1.00 pm Lunch
2.00 pm Kate Tiller, Memorials and memories: 20th-century
Suffolk histories and voices
2.45 pm Nick Patrick and David Cain, Eighth in the East: new
histories, new historians
3.30 pm Tea
4.00 pm Gauri Desai and Lucy Walker, Selie Suffolk: making
films about local migration past and present
4.45pm Finish for the day
During the day there will be stalls and displays from a range of
organisations, and individuals and groups from Suffolk and elsewhere will be
invited to display posters of their work. There will also be an early evening
showing of short local history films.
Sunday 10 April
9.30 -11.30 am Open Forum : Growing Local History – making
the case and spreading the word. Introduced by Dan Miles (Historic England),
Alan Crosby (BALH), Jane Golding (BALH/Historic England). BALH is supporting a
new project commissioned by Historic England to assess the extent of
archaeology, historic building and local history research carried out by
voluntary groups across England. The results of this project, and the Suffolk
projects and experiences presented earlier in the conference, should initiate a
lively debate!
Followed by guided walking tours of the historic waterfront and
town, finishing 1 pm approx.
Held at UNIVERSITY CAMPUS
SUFFOLK, UCS, Waterfront Building, Ipswich, IP4 1QJ
BOOKING METHODS
· Online at http://www.balh.org.uk/events
(preferred)
· By post to BALH,
Chester House, 68 Chestergate, Macclesfield, SK11 6DY. Please send the form
below with your cheque, payable to ‘BALH’, or make BACS direct payment
to: Bank: CAFBANK, Sort Code: 40-52-40,
Account No. 00009383, Reference: name of person
booking.
· Enquiries: admin@balh.org.uk or 01625
664524
Accommodation:
Overnight accommodation is available at a choice of hotels and prices for those
attending to book for themselves. Premier Inn, Travel Lodge, Salthouse Harbour
Hotel and Novotel are nearby. See http://www.allaboutipswich.com/ and web searches - hotels
Ipswich.
Closing date for bookings - Friday 1 April 2016
British Association for
Local History (BALH)
Chester House, 68
Chestergate
Macclesfield, SK11 6DY
Tel: 01625 664524
Fax: 01625 664510
Email: admin@balh.org.uk
Website: www.balh.org.uk
Registered Office:
Chester House, 68 Chestergate, Macclesfield, SK11 6DY. Registered
Charity: 285467
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