Some Essex Closing-Rings 5

Fred Brand's project from the 1930s to locate closing rings on ancient Essex church doors. These examples are all from Saffron Walden, and are published by the Essex Society for Archaeology and History for the first time.

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

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 31^st 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 31^st 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.

Some Essex Closing-Rings 4

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.  These examples are from Little Totham, Little Waltham and Purleigh. 

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

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.

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].”

Morant Lecture at Stebbing. Saturday 19 March 2016

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.

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.

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

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.

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 5^th March at 2.30pm at Trinity Methodist Church, Rainsford Road, Chelmsford, CM1 2XB. 

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 8^th April to Sunday 10^th 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, 21^st 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