

Transcribed from the 1913 edition by David Price, email ccx074@pglaf.org





                            Loughton.  Essex.


  A brief account of the Manor
  and Parish, being the sub-
  stance of a paper read in 1903
  by William Chapman Waller,
  M.A., F.S.A.

                                * * * * *

                      [Picture: Decorative divider]

              (One hundred copies reprinted October, 1913).

                            Price: Six Pence.

                                * * * * *

    ‘Things are always ancienter than their names.’

                                                         _Richard Hooker_.




Loughton.  Essex.


_Foreword_.—Perhaps some apology is needed for reprinting this paper.  It
was read some ten years ago to the Club Literary Society, fully reported
in the ‘Loughton Gazette’ in March, 1903, and thereafter issued in
pamphlet form, one hundred copies being struck off.  But these copies
have long been dispersed, like many of the people who then lived in the
village, and it may be that a new generation will not be unwilling to
devote a few moments to the story of the place in which their lot is, at
any rate for the time being, cast.  To those whose interest may be
aroused I may indicate the existence of a fuller account, contained in a
volume (of which only twelve copies exist,) to be found in the Guildhall
Library, the British Museum, and a few other public libraries.

                                                                  W. C. W.




LOUGHTON BEFORE THE CONQUEST.


It is not always that the story of a parish reaches back to a period
beyond Domesday Book, but that of Loughton begins for us in the reign of
the Confessor.  In the year 1062, four years before the coming of the
Conqueror, King Edward, with the assent of his Witan, or wise men,
confirmed to the Monastery at Waltham a great gift of lands which had
been made to the Canons by their founder, Harold, the son of Godwin.  The
different estates are enumerated in the document, and the boundaries of
several are given—not in Latin, the language of the rest of the document,
but in Anglo-Saxon.  Among them are three—Lukinton, Tippedene, and
Ælwartun, which are incontestably to be identified with the places we now
know as Loughton, Debden, and Alderton.  The boundaries of Lukinton, or
Loughton, are unfortunately wanting.  Not, of course, that it would be
any longer possible to trace them; even in the case of Debden, where the
natural features are mentioned, it is doubtful of what extent the manor
was; in the case of Alderton none of the boundaries can be connected with
any names occurring in documents of a later date.




DOMESDAY BOOK.


When we come to Domesday Book we find no less than eight separate
entries, all of which apparently relate to Loughton.  The Canons are
found to hold Debden and Alderton, with two other manors merely described
as ‘Loughton.’  Peter de Valoines held two more, equally nameless, one
being his demesne, and the other held by an under-tenant called Ralph;
the latter was probably near North’s Farm on Buckhurst Hill; Robert
Gernon held 44 acres, his under-tenant being W. Corbun; and the King held
20 acres, which were seemingly a sort of perquisite of the royal Reeve at
Havering.  There appear, therefore, to have been six manors and two
extra-manorial holdings.  What ‘manor’ meant in that remote period is
still a moot point, but it is certain that the word was often applied to
much smaller areas than in later times.  A very learned modern writer
suggests that the manor implies a channel of payment, the owner being
liable for the Danegeld due not only from himself, but also from his free
tenants, whose tie to him was otherwise very slight.  And, in passing, we
may note that ‘tenant,’ in the Domesday sense, is almost equivalent to
our modern ‘freeholder.’  No mention is made of a church in Loughton, but
it is more than probable that one existed.




THE 12TH AND 13TH CENTURIES.


More than a century must be passed over in order to reach our next
fragments of documentary evidence.  These are gathered from charters, or
grants, made by Kings and Popes to the monks at Waltham, and are not
sufficiently important for us to dwell upon now, except to say that, in
1182, a church at Loughton is mentioned.

The lapse of nearly another century brings us to a considerable amount of
very curious and interesting information relating to the lands in the
parish, contained in certain MSS. of great antiquity formerly belonging
to the great Abbey at Waltham, and now, with so many other treasures,
stored in the British Museum.  The Canons at Waltham went on adding acre
to acre—sometimes by purchase, sometimes by the gifts of the faithful—and
the little ‘charters,’ or deeds of grant, were copied into a book, and
kept for reference.  And so it comes about that, six hundred and fifty
years afterwards, we can still put our fingers here and there on the
parish map, and say that, here or there, was such or such a man’s land.
Some of you perhaps know a little meadow on the left as you go to the
Tram Farm; it is still called Plum-tree Mead, and by a name but little
different (Plumtre Croft) it has always been known; about 1250 it
belonged to a man named Edward Reintot, who gave it to the Canons.  In
England’s-lane, again, there is a small freehold known as Marlcroft; this
was held of Richard de Munfichet by John Pyrle, who paid a half-yearly
rent, and three hens and a cock on St. Stephen’s Day, and when he went to
make payment at his lord’s court at Woodford or elsewhere, he and his
horse were duly fed by the lord.  After the lapse of centuries Pyrle’s
name has been revived, and stands on the Ordnance Map; it had survived,
but in the corrupt form of ‘Pole.’  Some may still be familiar with
Poles-lane, as old folk call Rectory-lane, and a field at the corner of
Rectory-lane called ‘Poles.’

But of all these early grants the most interesting is one relating to
Monk Wood, the story of which we will trace back from the time when the
Corporation of London acquired it, by purchase, from the lord of the
manor, sometime in the seventies.  Monk Wood you all know, and it may
have occurred to some to wonder why it differs from the rest of the
Forest round about it, from which it is not in any way separated.  The
fact is, that, although subject to rights of common of pasture, it was
the lord’s wood; and from time to time be exercised his right of lopping
in it.  In a plan of the manor made one hundred and fifty years ago Great
and Little Monk Wood are set out, with their bounds; and in a still
earlier survey (1612) the rights over them of the lessees of the manor
under the Crown are recognised.  About thirty years before that date
certain circumstances had led to the empanelling of a jury of the
neighbourhood, which, as part of its verdict, found that Monk Wood—_i.e._
the timber therein—had been three times sold within the memory of man:
one time by the Abbot of Stratford, and twice in Queen Elizabeth’s time.
This intrusion of the Abbot of Stratford into what was pre-eminently the
territory of his brother of Waltham, strikes one as a little singular,
and it is here that our charters come in to help us to the explanation.
We have already learned from Domesday that Peter de Valoines held two
manors in Loughton, and, from a somewhat later authority, we find that
among those holding of the Valoines barony in Essex were some subtenants
called de Snaring (so called from Snoring in Norfolk), and from them a
part of Loughton came to be called ‘Loughton Snarryng.’  In this part was
a certain wood of 56½ acres, once the joint undivided property (in
unequal shares) of Geoffrey Reyntot, Roger Fitz Ailmar, and Ralph de
Assartis (a subtenant of de Snaring), who had given his three quarters to
the Abbot and Monks of Stratford.  The remaining fourth part, with their
rights of cutting down and carrying away trees, and pannage, Geoffrey and
Roger gave to the Abbot and monks of Waltham.  To the 56½ acres seventeen
were afterwards added, and credited to the share of Waltham.  Trouble
arose, as might be anticipated, between the tenants in common, and
sometime in June, 1240—over six hundred years ago—the Abbots met at
Chelmsford, in the mother church there, and settled their differences.
The document containing the agreement they came to, doubtless after long
parleying, is illustrative of the elaborate methods of the time.  It was
agreed that when Stratford owner of three-fourths, wished to fell timber,
he was to send for Waltham’s bailiff, and then choose four trees of equal
value.  Of these Stratford had first chore as to two, Waltham next
choice, and the fourth tree remained to Stratford.  Vice versâ, if
Waltham wanted to fell timber, he was to send for Stratford’s bailiff.
If either Abbot did not want to fell his timber at the moment he was to
mark and leave it standing.  The feed in the wood was to be divided into
four pasts, of which Stratford was to have three.  The last provision
seems to indicate that the wood was then enclosed and not subject to
common rights of pasture.  In later times, however, this was overlooked,
and it seems to have been held that Monk Wood was only reserved to the
lord on the condition that his tenant farmers should be restrained from
lopping at large in the Forest and so infringing the privileges of
copyholders.  Monk Wood was lopped for the last time somewhere about
1840.  In 1767 the tenant of Alderton Hall had under his lease an
assignment from it of 1000 <DW19>s yearly ‘to be made up as London ware,’
and 100 logs; in 1787 he had 500 <DW19>s and 250 logs: all to be used on
the premises.  For this information I am indebted to a couple of old
leases kindly lent me by Mr. G. S. Gould.




LANDLORD AND TENANT IN THE MIDDLE AGES.


In addition to making copies of their deeds the Monastic owners of lands
frequently drew up what are known as ‘Extents’—_i.e._ detailed
descriptions of the services due from their tenants, the stock on their
farms, and a multitude of other matters into which we need not go.  It
can have been no joke to be a landed proprietor in those days; and
possibly it was a still more serious matter to be a tenant.  From such an
account of their manors here in Loughton which the monks had drawn up
somewhere before 1300, we had that Alderton (Aluertuna, Alwarton,
Alwardtun, ‘Ailward’s town’) was still the largest, the most populous,
and possibly the most lucrative, of the four manors said by Domesday to
belong to them.  Typeden (Debden) comes next, and Luketon (Loughton)
makes a bad third.  The explanation of this is probably that the manors
of Loughton were kept in hand and farmed, while the others had been
granted out to what may be roughly styled ‘copyholders.’  Of such
copyholders there were in Alderton 28, holding 371 acres, paying between
them something over 40s. a year in money, 47 fowls, and 424½ eggs.  In
Loughton were eight tenants holding 75 acres, and paying about 14s., and
9 fowls.  In Debden there were 24 tenants, who held 160 acres, and paid
about 23s., 17 fowls, and 26 eggs.  It is interesting to note that among
the names are found Achelard, from whom Allard’s Grove is derived;
Potman, whose name still cleaves to a field by Clays-lane, near Debden
Green; and Ralph Traps.  Memories must have been good in those days, when
but few could read or write; for, of the tenants, no two paid exactly the
same rent—and when I say ‘pay’ you must by no means conclude that money
is meant.  In rural economy at that date money played but a minor part,
as we shall see if we look at the complicated services due to the
landlord from, for instance, Arnold and William Ram, who held 15 acres in
Alderton; and no one held more than 15, although many held less.  Arnold,
we are told, paid 31d. a year and a ‘warpany’ (ward-penny) of 2d.; the
latter seems to have been in lieu of certain police services once
rendered.  Next he gave a hen and ten eggs.  When the great
boon-ploughing took place in winter, he came twice with his team and did
a day’s work.  In Lent he came to the boon-harrowing and brought a horse,
whether he owned one or not, and he worked till the ninth hour, getting
no rations; if, however, he worked on until evening he got some food, and
his horse a handful of oats and some hay.  If the lord of the manor
wished it, he had to come, with one scythe, to mow the meadow, and had
his rations.  He provided and fed a man to lift hay until all was
carried.  On two days he weeded from morn till eve and had two meals.  He
drew a load of hay and had his breakfast given him.  He sent a man to one
boon-day, when beer was not provided; and two men to three others.  If he
reaped oats on the great boon-day he bound them on another and got no
rations.  He had to send a man for one day to gather nuts till eve, and
the man had food given him; on another day, when he was to leave off at
the ninth hour, he got no food.  William Ram had to provide a day’s work
twice in each week, and did much else, with the details of which I will
not here trouble you; but a general statement of such rights and duties
as could apparently be described as common to the inhabitants of all
three manors or vills, is given and is worth recital.




TENANTS’ DUTIES.


‘Every tenant of the three vills aforesaid (Alderton, Debden, and
Loughton) shall come with his team to the boon-ploughing twice in winter.
Every tenant of five acres shall come and harrow twice in Lent, if he has
horses, and shall have his food.  Every tenant of 10 acres, whether he
has horses or not, shall come in like manner.  So all shall come to mow,
to lift hay, to weed, and to gather nuts.  If, owing to bad weather, they
have to give up work, they shall return on the morrow to finish.  If any
man’s daughter is seduced while in his house, her father shall pay a fine
to the lord.  No one may marry his daughter without the lord’s licence.
No one may sell horse or ox, except such as he himself has bought,
without showing it to the bailiff.  No one may sell a tree.  The lord may
appoint anyone to be his reeve, and can take tallage (tax) at his will.
Everyone belonging to Luketune or Tipeden shall bind the oats he reaps
without having food found him; they of Alwartune shall bind only those
which they reap at the great boon-day; and every brewer of that vill owes
an offering of beer from each brewing.  William de Broc and Kathale, who
are from Alwartune, owe carrying service, and it should be known that the
men of each vill engaged in harrowing, are to have in the field a handful
of oats; but if they carry it away they are liable to punishment.’  Just
imagine what it must have been for the steward who had to exact, and the
tenant who had to remember to render these services.  Others there were
whose services were still more complicated; and if their days were spent
in working, their nights must have been passed, one would think, in a
sleepless endeavour to remember where and how the next day was to be
employed.  Certain days, called boon-days, were supposed to be given to
the lord at his request, and not under compulsion—and these again were
divided into ‘dry’ and ‘beery,’ according to whether beer was provided or
not.  Acorn-gathering, weeding, harrowing, hay-carrying, and a host of
other employments are specified.  One tenant in Debden paid thirty feet
of candle by way of rent—at least such appears to be the meaning of the
mediæval Latin in which the service is mentioned.

Certain provisions relating to timber and carriage lived on.  I have in
my possession a licence, dated November 6, 1851, to cut down 20 pollards
to use on the premises, and five ash trees to be sold, one-third of the
proceeds to be paid to the lord ‘according to the custom of the manor,’
with a receipt for 19s. 4d. in the margin.  And the tenant of Alderton,
in 1832, still undertook to do two days’ carting yearly with a good team.




SOCIAL LIFE IN THE 13TH CENTURY.


You will ask me, perhaps, where and how all these people lived.  It is
probable that there were clusters of rude hovels round Debden Green,
Loughton Hall