Essex SPRING 2006 Journal A REVIEW OF LOCAL HISTORY & ARCHAEOLOGY R. MILLER CHRISTY A TOAD-EATER AND USURER THE PURITAN HARLACKENDEN FAMILY PLESHEY COLLEGE THE APPRENTICES AND THE CLERGYMEN SPRING 2006 Vol. 44 No.1 ESSEX ISSN 0014-0961 JOURNAL (incorporating Essex Review) EDITORIAL 2 OBITUARIES 3 R. MILLER CHRISTY: Essex Naturalist and Antiquary – Part II 5 W. Raymond Powell AN INVENTORY AT PLESHEY COLLEGE 12 Christopher Page A TOAD-EATER AND USURER FROM LAMBOURNE: Thomas Walker (1664-1748) of Bishops Hall 15 Richard Morris THE PURITAN HERITAGE OF THE HARLACKENDEN FAMILY OF EARLS COLNE 19 Daphne Pearson THE APPRENTICES AND THE CLERGYMAN: An episode in the history of steam ploughing 22 Chris Thompson BOOK REVIEWS 24 FORTHCOMING EVENTS and PLACES to VISIT 28 Hon. Editor: Michael Beale, M.A., The Laurels, The Street, Great Waltham, Chelmsford, Essex CM3 1DE (Tel: 01245 360344/email: [email protected]) The ‘ESSEX JOURNAL’ is now published by and is under the management of an Editorial Board consisting of representatives of the Essex Archaeological and Historical Congress, the Friends of Historic Essex, the Essex Record Office (on behalf of the Essex County Council) and the ˙Hon. Editor. It was recognised that the statutory duties of the County Council preclude the Record Office from sharing in the financial commitments of the consortium. The Chairman is Mr. Adrian Corder-Birch M.I.C.M., F.Inst.L.Ex., one of the Congress representatives, the Hon. Secretary is Mrs. Marie Wolfe and the Hon.Treasurer, Mrs. Geraldine Willden. The annual subscription of £10.00 should be sent to the Hon. Treasurer, Mrs. G. Willden, 11 Milligans Close, Galleywood, Chelmsford, Essex CM2 8QD (Tel: 01245 358807/email: [email protected]). Subscribers who receive a faulty copy or who do not receive a copy at all should contact the Distribution Manager, Mr. H. M. Stuchfield, at Intercity Print Financial PLC, 35 St. Augustine Mews, Colchester, Essex CO1 2PF (Tel: 01206 862136/email: [email protected]). Cover illustration: Holy Trinity church, Pleshey – see p.12 (Courtesy of M. J. Cuddeford, Esq.). Notes to contributors Contributions and correspondence will be welcome and should be sent to the Editor. He does not guarantee that material will be published. He would be grateful if all material for the next issue could be with him not later than the end of August 2006. Contributors are requested to limit their articles to some 2,500/3,000 words (other than by prior agreement with the Hon. Editor, who would welcome an occasional longer article on a suitable topic). Illustrations should, if possible, be camera-ready. 1 Editorial The Government has aimed a further We are losing money. That was no Indeed do we deserve to survive, body-blow at adult educational studies in surprise. But the figures have made it unless we can do better? This is for its new White Paper on further clear to us, and to our active sponsors, others to say. We claim, and feel, we are education. Colleges are in effect being the Friends of Historic Essex and the filling the gap between the annual instructed to find a ‘new economic Essex Archaeological and Historical Transactions of the Essex Society mission’ and to centre their activities on Congress, that something must be done. for Archaeology and History and the acquisition of vocational skills by We cannot look in present circumstances Essex Countryside. But we have the under-25’s, whose courses are to be to our third sponsor, the Essex Record Newsletters of the Essex Society, of the made free of charge, whilst state Office, for any positive support: as all our Friends of Historic Essex, the Essex subsidies will be cut from the alleged readers will know only too well, these Society for Family History, of the Essex present figures of 73% to 50% by 2010. years of financial stringency have left the Congress and of several of the more The shortfall will have to be paid by County Council with precious little active local history societies within the students or their employers, which money to meet its commitments, and county, all in some measure covering the means that the cost of these courses, that its discretionary financial support same ground and catering for much the already greatly increased by the loss of for the county's heritage is perforce by no same market. Did we not exist, perhaps financial support from the universities, means near the top of its obligations. they would do it the better by receiving a will soar yet further. Those who know in The first thought of any publication in wider range of article from their the colleges fear that such further our present plight must be to consider members. increases will kill voluntary classes and raising prices, particularly since we have There is, of course, another possible cause evening study centres to shut not increased the annual subscription course of action. We have until now, down. In The Times of 29 March William since the early 1990s, despite increases in of course not without careful thought Tyler, the former Principal of the City postal costs and so much else. But it on our own part and the ready Literary Institute, whom many of us seems to us that our present subscription encouragement of our sponsors, know for his lecture courses throughout base is too narrow for that to be likely to consciously taken the course of the county, wrote: be a realistic proposition. producing a periodical which has, we (this) marks another significant The next thought of any sensible trust, some modest claims to elegance of milestone along the path of the organisation (as well as of many that have format and presentation. This has total abandonment of the adult little claim to sense) is to sack the necessarily made it more expensive than education sector. Education is management and hope to find better. the increasingly available alternative of something that all governments Speaking for myself as hon. editor, I have desk-top publishing, the style which has should be committed to, not only been doing this job for the last sixteen been the life-blood of the society for children or the under 25’s, or years and have enjoyed it: but I guess that newsletters I have noted above, and of so only for utilitarian purposes. a younger editor with new ideas would many others. We could, with a new hon. In my ‘editorial’ in the last issue do better and I would readily pass it on. Editor who possessed greater skills in I commented on the unfavourable effect I have little doubt that a new team information technology than I can that the universities’ cutbacks were with new ideas would by vigorous pretend to, ourselves go some way down having on local history studies. This new promotion find ways which have eluded that course without prejudice to the blow cannot but make things worse. But us to interest those many in the county quality of our content, and produce a the effect will be much wider. Many of us who care for Essex local history to somewhat cheaper journal. If this were have achieved such skills as we possess in become subscribers. Quite often we meet thought preferable I should readily hand information technology entirely through with those who ought to know of us but over to such an editor. these courses; are all those who have a who have in fact never heard of the We, and our two active sponsors, will need for these skills in today’s world Journal. We have tried to promote it be looking at all these alternatives in the (which means everybody) and who left through local history societies: very many next few months. But also, necessarily school before the 1980’s to be deprived subscribe, but whether these copies are I fear, to the other possible alternative of of the opportunity of gaining them, seen only by few members, or whether closure, at the end of this year or next. except at the cost of private tuition. they are seen, as it were, by too many, We shall not, of course, entertain Language studies likewise: all know how who are thereby discouraged from the possibility of immediate bad the English are at learning foreign buying their own copy, we never know. closure in view of our obligations languages, and it should be a part of the We have much the same doubt about the to those who have subscribed for Government’s role to encourage us to copies taken by Essex libraries. It would 2006. We may have to ‘go gentle into learn them, not to set roadblocks in the be nice if more schools subscribed, but that good night’ in the company of our way. they are of course hardly less strapped for predecessor, the Essex Review, and of The WEA will in all probability be cash than is the County Council. course of periodicals in their day greater among those hardest hit by this We have good friends in some county than either, like Punch and Horizon. Governmental change of policy. But the charitable trusts, who have given us some We shall welcome readers' views. Ladies WEA was the creation of the earnest much-appreciated financial support. Were and Gentlemen, the floor is yours. fathers of the Labour Party, like there others minded to give us a four- R.H. Tawney, in the days when it had a figure sum that would of course in a sense # sense of vocation to bring learning and be our salvation, but whether such a secure culture before the whole community.