Lambourne and Abridge

LAMBOURNE AND ABRIDGE HISTORIC SETTLEMENT ASSESSMENT REPORT by Maria Medlycott January 2005 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................. 3 2 LOCATION AND TOPOGRAPHY ................................................................................. 3 3 EVIDENCE ........................................................................................................................ 4 3.1 DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE ........................................................................................................... 4 3.2 ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE ...................................................................................................... 4 3.3 LISTED BUILDINGS .......................................................................................................................... 5 4 SYNTHESIS....................................................................................................................... 5 4.1 PREHISTORIC AND ROMAN PERIODS ....................................................................................................... 5 4.2 SAXON PERIOD ...................................................................................................................................... 6 4.3 MEDIEVAL PERIOD ................................................................................................................................ 6 4.4 POST -MEDIEVAL AND MODERN PERIOD ................................................................................................... 9 5 SURVIVING ELEMENTS OF THE HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT............................ 14 6 RESEARCH PRIORITIES AND POTENTIAL ............................................................ 14 7 BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................ 14 Appendix 1: Cartographic sources Appendix 2: Summary of Historic Environment Record FIGURE LIST Cover: Chapman and André map of Lambourne 1 Lambourne - Location and topography 2 Lambourne parish - Historic Environment Record 1 3 Historic Environment Record - Abridge village and Lambourne Hall 4 Lambourne parish – Medieval interpretation 5 Lambourne parish – Post-medieval interpretation 7 Abridge village - Post-medieval interpretation 8 Lambourne - Surviving historic landscape elements 2 LAMBOURNE AND ABRIDGE HISTORIC SETTLEMENT ASSESSMENT REPORT 1 INTRODUCTION This Historic Settlement Assessment Report of Lambourne has been prepared by the Heritage Conservation Branch of Essex County Council in order to inform and advise the planning process. This report has been compiled using a number of sources, including the Historic Environment Record (HER), the List of Buildings of Architectural and Historical Interest and various cartographic and documentary records. The preparation of this report has involved the addition of information to the HER database and the digitising of spatial data onto a Geographic Information System (GIS). The report is modelled on those of the Essex Historic Towns Project, however this was developed to deal with nucleated settlements and it should be borne in mind that the historic character of Epping Forest District was of dispersed settlement. The importance of archaeological remains is clearly recognised today. They are an irreplaceable source for the study of the past, a resource for education, leisure and tourism and they contribute to the quality and interest of the contemporary environment. In particular, the past will often have directly affected the contemporary settlement layout in the form of the settlement pattern, field-systems and open spaces. For the purposes of this study the Neolithic period is the time-span between 4,00-2,00 BC, the Bronze Age is 2,00-700 BC, the Iron Age is 700 BC- 43 AD, the Roman period is 43-410 AD, the Saxon period is 410-1066 AD, the medieval period is 1066-1536 AD, the post-medieval period is 1536-1900 AD and the modern period is 1900 to the present day. This corresponds to the period divisions used by the HER. 2 LOCATION AND TOPOGRAPHY Lambourne parish is sited on the southern edge of Epping District. From an early date most of the population has been concentrated in the village of Abridge in the extreme north-west of the parish, at some distance from the church and the manor-houses. The land rises from 30m OD in the north to 110m OD in the centre of the parish before sloping down to 65m OD in the south. The River Roding forms the northern boundary of the parish. Abridge derives its name from the crossing of this river by the Theydon Bois road. Lambourne End in the south contains most of what remains of Hainault Forest. 3 3 EVIDENCE 3.1 DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE The place-name Lambourne probably derives from the Old English for ‘loam-stream’ and refers to the River Roding, it is first recorded in 1066. However Abridge itself derives from Æffa’s Bridge, a personal name first referenced in the area in 813 in the Codex Diplomaticus. The earliest description of Lambourne is in the Domesday Book which records the state of the manor in 1066 and 1086 ((Rumble 1983, 20.48) Lands of Count Eustace in Essex David holds Lambourne from the Count, which Leofsi held as one manor, for 2 hides and 80 acres. Always 1 villager. Then 10 smallholders, now 12. Always 1 slave; 2 ploughs in lordship; 1 men’s plough. Woodland, 100 pigs; meadow, 20 acres. Value then 40s; now 60 [s]. In lordship 9 cattle and 80 sheep. It is possible using the place-name evidence to establish when some of the principal farms and manors were in existence. Young’s Farm 1206 Associated with the family of John Juvenis. Dews Hall 1248 Associated with the family of Richard Deu. Priors 1273 Land granted to the Prior of Dunmow in 1273 by Roger Byssop. St Johns 13 th century Land granted to the Knight’s Hospitallers in the 13 th century by Edward Bisshop. Hillside 13 th century Probably the home of Gilbert de la Helle. Bishops Hall and Moat 1334 Said to be the house of a manor which belonged to the Bishop of Norwich. Also referenced as the Norwich maner vocat’ Sheepeshalle. Harmes Farm 1337 Associated with the family of Robert de Hageham Gelmans 1410 Associated with the family of John Galman. Patches Park 1498 Associated with the family of John Patche. Arnolds 1556 Formerly Arneways, taking its name from the family of Adam Arneway, an owner. Clark’s Wood 1633 Associated with the family of Richard Clarke Table 1: Place-names listed by order of earliest reference 3.2 ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE No archaeological fieldwork has taken place no date in Abridge. It is evident however form chance finds within the Abridge area that there is archaeology present and experience from 4 elsewhere in Essex has demonstrated the widespread survival of archaeological deposits and features beneath the plough-soil. The Lea valley is noted for the importance of its early prehistoric evidence, particularly the palaeoenvironmental data from the buried peat beds and their associated Mesolithic artifacts. The Lea valley has been extensively quarried, but there are surviving areas, particularly under the Abridge Mill Caravan Park and to the north of the village, where important deposits may exist. In addition, the surviving elements of the historic landscape, such as hedgerows, woodland and field boundaries form an intrinsic part of the heritage of the Abridge area. Within the village it is anticipated, on the basis of comparison with similar settlements, that archaeological deposits and features can be anticipated to survive within the historic settlement, in addition the Listed Buildings form an important heritage resource. The soil type is conducive to good bone and ceramic survival, there may also be waterlogged deposits in the Roding valley. 3.3 LISTED BUILDINGS The schedule of listed buildings provided in this report (see Appendix 2 and Fig. 2) is derived from the List of Buildings of Special Architectural and Historical Interest. The List for Epping Forest District was amended in 1984 and can be considered to be of good reliability. The more significant buildings are discussed within the main body of the text. Century Number 12 1 13 1 14 1 15 - Medieval 4 16 4 17 6 18 9 19 2 20 1 Table 2: Listed Buildings by century There are 28 Listed Buildings in Lambourne. Three buildings, Lambourne Place, the Parish Church of St Mary and All saints and the medieval hall-house that comprises Abridge Motor Spares and Robert Chappell Butchers, are Grade II*. The remainder are Grade II*. White Hall (HER 34037) has been recommended for de-listing as it was demolished in 1983. 4 SYNTHESIS 4.1 PREHISTORIC AND ROMAN PERIODS It is well known that there are extensive prehistoric settlements of all periods associated with the lower Lea and Roding valleys. There is only slight evidence for the prehistoric and Roman periods in Lambourne, and this largely comprises crop-marks of uncertain date. However the 5 absence of evidence is more probably a consequence of the dearth of archaeological work in the area rather than a reflection of a genuine absence of activity during that period. 4.2 SAXON PERIOD The place-name Abridge itself derives from Æffa’s Bridge, a personal name first referenced in the area in 813 in the Codex Diplomaticus. It can be probably be safely assumed that the building of a bridge at this point implies the presence of inhabitants. The Domesday Book which records the state of the manor in 1066 ((Rumble 1983, 20.48). Prior to the Conquest Lambourne had been held as

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