Wennington 1863 Whites Directory

Comprises only the three parishes of Romford, Hornchurch, and Havering-atte-Bower, which contain about 17,000 acres of land, and 9260 inhabitants; and were assessed to the Property Tax in 1843, at the annual value of about £35,000. This Liberty is a separate jurisdiction, with its own magistrates, clerk of the peace, coroner, gaol, quarter and petty sessions, court of record, etc. It is in Romford Union and Oounty Court District. In the election of parliamentary representatives, it forms part of Romford Polling District, in the South Division of Essex. Ecclesiastically, it is in the Deanery of Barking, Archdeaconry of Essex, and Diocese of Hornchurch, but was till a few years ago exempt from episcopal jurisdiction. It is about nine miles in length from north to south, and for about half that distance it is about four miles broad; but from Hornchurch to the river Thames, it decreases from 2 1/2 to about one mile in breadth. Its centre is crossed by the Eastern Counties Railway, which has a station at Romford, where the liberty courts are held. The small Ingerbourn river flows along its eastern boundary, southward to the Thames, as the Bourn brook or little river Rom, does on the west. Above Romford, the latter intersects the liberty, but below that town it forms the western boundary. The adjoining Hundreds are Becontree, on the west; Chafford,on the east; and Ongar, on the north.
Havering Liberty formed part of the demesnes of the Saxon kings, and was anciently part of Becontree Hundred, as appears from Domesday book; but having a royal palace, it was constituted an independent liberty, with a separate civil and ecclesiastical jurisdiction, extending even to cases of life and death, but it now sends capital offenders to tlie Assizes and House of Correction at Chelmsford. The limits of the liberty were well defined at the time of the Municipal Corporation Inquiry, in 1833, when one of the Commissioners found that various charters, from the 5th of Edward IV. to the 16th of Chales II., had been granted to the lord of this liberty and his tenants; and that the chief governing charters were those of Edward IV. and Elizabeth. By that of the 30th of Elizabeth, the tenants and inhabitants were incorporated, but none of the charters have been in the possession of the corporation for many years. The charter of Edward IV. confirmed the prescriptive right to hold a court of ancient demesne for the liberty every three weeks; and granted to the tenants and inhabitants that they should not be bound to answer before any justices, judges, or commissioners, or in any other court, in actions connected with the lands and tenements held of the manor. The charter appointed a court of pie-poudre, and a court of quarter sessions; but the former fell into disuse many years ago. The court leet of the manor is held yearly, on Whit-Tuesday; quarter sessions four times a year, and petty sessions once a fortnight, at the Court House, in Romford. The expense of the courts, gaol, etc, are defrayed by a liberty rate, in the nature of a county rate, levied twice a-year, and averaging about £550 per annum, or 3 1/2 d per pound, on the assessed rental. The municipal commissioner, Henry Boscoe, Esq., after finishing his inquiry, in 1833, considered that no useful end was served by the existence of the municipal constitution of this liberty, while there appeared to be an impropriety in a private individual (the lord of the manor) having the power of creating justices of the peace; -none of the three magistrates being appointed by the Crown. David MacMntosh, Esq., is lord of the manorial liberty; but a great part of the soil belongs to various freeholders, as noticed in the succeeding account of the three parishes. On the death of Edward the Confessor, this liberty became the royal possession of his successor, Harold, from whom it passed to the Conqueror; and it was afterwards granted out in numerous parcels to various freeholders. The MAGISTRATES OF THE LIBERTY are - Thos. Masbiter, Esq., high steward; Wm Mashiter Esq,, deputy steward; and Octavius Mashiter, Esq., and Stephen Chas. Hope, Esq. T. and 0. Mashiter, Esqrs., are also county magistrates. Wm. Henry Clifton, Esg., is coroner and clerk of the peace; Samuel Southey, gaoler and bailiff; and Henry Aylett, chief constable of the Liberty.

HAVERING-ATTE-BOWER PARISH forms the northern part of the Liberty, and has a pleasant village, nearly 3 miles N. of Romford, on an eminence commanding extensive views of the Kentish and Surrey hills, and the busy river Thames, though it is eight miles from the latter. It contains 429 inhabitants and about 4300 acres of land, generally having a loamy soil, and belonging to D. Mackintosh, Esq. (lord of the manor), Joseph Bray, Esq., and several smaller freeholders. The name of the parish is supposed to have been originally Clavering, and a ridiculous legendary tale, related by Morant, and other authors, says it was called Havering from a ring, presented here to a pilgrim, by Edward the Oonfessor, at the consecration of the church. The substance of this tradition is, that St. John the Evangelist, to whom the church is dedicated, appeared as a "fair old man," and, asking alms of the King, received from his majesty a gold ring, as the only possession he had at the time to bestow; and which was returned to him some years, afterwards, by two pilgrims, who had received it when travelling in the Holy Land, from the same "old man," together with this injunction, -" Say ye untoe Edwarde your King, that I grete hym well by the token, that he gaaf to me this ryng with his own handes, at the hallowing of my chirohe; which rying ye shall deliver hym agayn, and say ye to him, that he dyspose of his goodes, for within six monthes he shall be in the joy of heven wyth me, where he shall have his rewards for his chastite and good lyvinge." The whole story is wrought in basso-relievo, in St. Edward's Chapel, at Westminster Abbey, where the ring is said to be deposited with other relics. Havering-atte-Bower, or at the Bower, obtained the latter part of its name from its ancient Palace, or Bower, which was a favourite retreat of some of the Saxon Kings, especially that saintly monarch, Edward the Confessor, who found this woody solitude congenial to his retired habits and devotional spirit. The park contained about 1000 acres, and had many shady walks and beautiful groves, Under the Commonwealth, the palace, and park were sold in two lots for about £9000. The purchaser was one Deane, a violent adherent of Cromwell, and one of those who signed the death warrant of King Charles. He cut down the trees in the park, and probablv pulled down the palace, as nothing more is heard of it after this period. The royal manor was, however, continued in the Crown, till about 38 years ago, when it was sold to the late Hugh Mackintosh, Esq., whose successor, David Mackintosh, Esq., is the present lord of the manorial liberty, and resides at the handsome modern seat called HAVERING PARK, which commands extensive views of the vale of the river Thames. PYRGO or PIRGO PARK, was another royal seat, often occupied by the Queens of England, especially during their widowhood. It was the residence of Eleanor, Queen of Edward I. ln 1550, it was granted by Queen Elizabeth, with the Grange, to Sir John Grey; but in 1614, it was sold to Sir John Oheke, who held it till 1728, when it passed to the Archer family. The mansion was rebuilt in 1770, but the present handsome and more extensive mansion was built on the same site, a few years ago by the late Robert Field, Esq., and it is now the seat and property of Joseph Bray, Esq. HAVERING HALL, another modern mansion, with pleasant grounds, commanding delightful views, is the seat of Wm. Pemberton Barnes, Esq. Havering Grange is in Romford parish. BOWER HOUSE, which stands near the site of the ancient palace, is a large stuccoed mansion, with pleasure grounds, commanding extensive views. It belongs to W. P. Barnes, Esq., and is occupied by C. P. Matthews, Esq. The other seats in Havering parish are BEDFORDS, belonging to James Hawksley, Esq., and now occupied by the Hon. Hy. W. Petre; and ROUND HOUSE, which is occupied by Joseph Pemberton, Esq., but belongs to.W. P. Barnes, Esq. On the village green is a large elm tree, supposed to be 400 years old. Its trunk exceeds 24 feet in circumference. The ancient royal chapel, now the Parish Church, is dedicated to St. John the Evangelist, as already noticed. It is a small brick fabric, with a wooden belfry, and stands near the site of the palace. The benefice is a perpetual curacy, valued at £80, in the patronage of W. P. Barnes, Esq., and incumbency of the Rev. Richard R. Faulkner, B.D. The tithes of the whole liberty belong to New College, Oxford. The Parish School was rebuilt in 1837, and has an endowment of £10 a year, left in 1724, by Dame Ann Tipping, for schooling twenty poor children. This annuity is charged on Pyrgo Park,
and the owner adds to it £10 as his own contribution. The POST OFFICE is at Mr. Thos. Playle's. Letters, via, Romford.

HAVERING-ATTE-BOWER DIRECTORY.

Aylett Hy. shoemaker & chief constable
Barnes Wm. Pemberton, Esq. Hall
Bennett Jas. blacksmith and farrier
Bray Joseph, Esq. Pyrgo Park
Faulkner Rev. Rchd. Rowland,B.D. incumbent of Havering, and vicar of St. Sepulchre, Cambridge
Franklin Thomas, butcher
Fuller William, police officer
Gardner Samuel, brewer, brick and tile.maker, and builder and farmer
Gladding Mr John, Cromwell House
Jackson Geo. grocer and beerseller
Lester Alfred, vict. Orange Tree
Mackintosh David Esq, Havering Park
Matthews Chas. Peter, Esq. Bower House
Newland Jas. sohoolmaster & parish clerk
Pain William, farmer, etc
Pemberton Jph. Esq. Round House
Petre Hon. Henry Wm. Bedfords
Playle Thomas, saddler, Post Office
Rayment Edward, farmer
Taylor John, baker and beerseller
Wynn James, butcher

CARRIER - James Wm Banks to London, Friday