Little Horkesley, Essex Genealogy

England   Essex   Essex Parishes



Parish History
Little Horkesley St Peter and St Paul is an Ancient Parish in Essex. the present church on the site was built in 1958.

The medieval church, dedicated to ST. PETER c. 1127, and to SS. PETER and PAUL c. 1190, was struck by a landmine in 1940 and completely destroyed. It comprised an undifferentiated nave and chancel with north and south chapels, a south aisle that extended alongside a west tower, and a south porch. That church was probably the nave of the medieval priory church whose monastic chancel lay to the east. The north wall of the nave was probably 12th-century, the tower mid 14th-century, and the south aisle and chapel 15th-century. The porch, which was largely rebuilt in the 18th century, and the north chapel, which was rebuilt when the church was restored in the 19th century, were added in the 16th century. The north chapel may have been the Trinity chapel built by Sir William Findern before 1515. After the priory's dissolution the chancel of the priory church was demolished, the chancel arch blocked, and a new chancel formed from the eastern two bays of the nave. Among the furnishings destroyed in 1940 was a 15th-century screen between the south chapel and the south aisle, a 17th-century ironwork screen in the north chapel, a lectern made from 15th-century tracery, and a table of c. 1600. A 16th-century oak chest survived the bomb damage, as did the 15th-century font. The new church was built in 1958 from designs by Duncan Clark and Marshall Sisson. It has a chancel, a nave with north transept, south aisle and south porch, and a west tower. Apart from the porch, which is of exposed brick, the walls are rendered. In 1552 there were four bells. At least one was 15th-century, two were replaced in the 17th-century, and only three were recorded in the 18th century possibly because one was already cracked and useless. Another bell was added in 1878. All five remained in 1909. All the bells were broken in 1940. One 16th- century and four 17th-century bells were transferred to the new church from All Saints' church, Colchester, in 1958. There was a silver chalice in 1552, and a silver chalice and paten in 1684 and 1687. The chalice was replaced, probably by Edward Husbands, for in 1997 there was a silver chalice, paten, and flagon, all inscribed 'Little Horkesley in Essex 1705' and a second paten of 1685. Three wooden effigies survive, probably commemorating Robert Horkesley (d. 1295) and William Horkesley and his wife Emma (both d. 1332). The surviving brass of Bridget Marney (d. 1549) and her two husbands was originally from a tomb in the chancel. The inscription correctly identifies her second husband as John Marney, Lord Marney, but her first husband was William, not Thomas, Findern. On the reverse is a shrouded effigy of a lady c. 1490. Another female shroud brass is probably of Catherine Leventhorp (d. 1502). Brasses of the brothers John (d. 1430) and Andrew Swinbourne (d. 1418), from a tomb in the south chapel, were complete in 1796 but largely destroyed in the earlier 19th century and only fragments remain. ) Another damaged monu ment, probably originally with a brass and perhaps of William Swinbourne (d. 1422), was destroyed in 1940.

From: 'Little Horkesley: Church', A History of the County of Essex: Volume 10: Lexden Hundred (Part) including Dedham, Earls Colne and Wivenhoe (2001), pp. 239-241. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=15261&amp;amp;strquery=little horkesley Date accessed: 13 February 2011.

Little Horkesley is a village and civil parish in Essex. It is situated approximately 4 miles north of Colchester on the south bank of the River Stour. For administraive purposes it is part of Colcehster District of Essex County Council.

Civil Registration
Birth, marriages and deaths were kept by the government, from July 1837 to the present day. The civil registration article tells more about these records. There are several Internet sites with name lists or indexes. A popular site is FreeBMD.

Church records
Contributor: Include here information for parish registers, Bishop’s Transcripts, non conformist and other types of church records, such as parish chest records. Add the contact information for the office holding the original records. Add links to the Family History Library Catalog showing the film numbers in their collection

Online images are available Seax - Essex Archives Online From the Essex Record Office

Census records
Contributor: Include an overview if there is any unique information, such as the census for X year was destroyed. Add a link to online sites for indexes and/or images. Also add a link to the Family History Library Catalog showing the film numbers in their collection.

Index for the Census may be searched at FamilySearch Historical Records

http://www.1881pubs.com/ for details of public houses in the 1881 census

Poor Law Unions
Lexden and Winstree Poor Law Union, Essex

Courts were being held for Little Horkesley Hall in 1266, and in 1273-4 the lord held a court leet with the assizes of bread and of ale. In 1631-2 the lord still held courts leet and baron. In the 1630s one two constables were normally elected, and two surveyors in 1638. The business of the courts was limited to the transfer of holdings and the punishment and correction of minor misdefmeanours and nuisances, such as breaking the lord's pound and hedgebreaking. ThomasBourdillon (d. 1888) enfranchised many copyholds, but manorial rights were not fully extinguished until 1936. ) About 1525 the priory manor also held a court baron, but there is no later record of it. From 1664 parish officers included two churchwardens, two constables, two overseers of the poor, and two surveyors of highways. In 1692-3 Edward Husbands of Little Horkesley Hall was both churchwarden and surveyor of highways. In 1654 a poor rate raised £6 5s. and in 1776 another £60 9s. 8d. Expenditure had increased to £365 12s. 6d. in 1801, but only averaged c. £245 between 1801 and 1815 with a peak of £348 19s. 10d. in 1813. It averaged c. £410 between 1827 and 1836, and by the latter year the cost per head of population of 35s. 11d. was the highest in the Colchester division of Lexden hundred. In 1717 Edward Husbands rented a house to the parish for the use of the poor, and the arrangement still operated in 1782. The house was probably on the site of Workhouse Cottages on Workhouse Road. An average of nine people received occasional relief in that workhouse between 1813 and 1815. The surviving build- ing includes a pair of two-roomed cottages built c. 1800 around a single central stack. A third cottage was added to the rear early in the 19th century. The building still comprised three cottages in 1914, but later in the 20th century it was made into a single dwelling.

From: 'Little Horkesley: Local government', A History of the County of Essex: Volume 10: Lexden Hundred (Part) including Dedham, Earls Colne and Wivenhoe (2001), pp. 238-239. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=15260&amp;amp;strquery=little horkesley Date accessed: 13 February 2011.

Probate records
Records of wills, administrations, inventories, indexes, etc. were filed by the court with jurisdiction over this parish. Go to Essex Probate Records to find the name of the court having primary jurisdiction. Scroll down in the article to the section Court Jurisdictions by Parish.

Maps and Gazetteers
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 * England Jurisdictions 1851
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Web sites
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