Earls Colne, Essex Genealogy

England   Essex   Essex Parishes



Parish History
Earls Colne St Andrew is an Ancient Parish in the county of Essex. Church of England parish registers begin in 1558. Church of England Bishops' transcripts exist from 1800.Non-Church of England denominations identified in Earls Colne include: Society of Friends/Quaker and Particular Baptist.

"Earls Colne derives its name from the river Colne, and its ancient occupation by the De Veres, Great Chamberlain of England, Earls of Oxford, and Dukes of Dublin, who had a seat here, called Hall Place, with a park of about 700 acres detached, and which stood on one side of the church. Earls Colne, a town as ancient as the time of King Edward the Confessor, situate near the banks of the Colne. In the Hinckford hundred and in the Halstead union.. On the road from Halstead to Colchester, 5 miles north-east of Marks Tay station, 48 miles from London, 3 miles east-south-east of Halstead, 10 miles noorth-west of Colchester, 7 1/2 milles noorth of Coggeshall, and 7 miles north of Kelvedon station.. The parish contains 2,959 acres. Population in 1861 was 1,540"[Kelly's Directory of Essex, 1862]

The church of ST ANDREW comprises chancel with north and south chapels, nave with north and south aisles and south porch, and a west tower. An earlier church was remodelled or rebuilt in the 14th century when the surviving chancel, south aisle and arcade, and the south porch were built. The tower was added c. 1460; in 1534 John de Vere, earl of Oxford, partly rebuilt it, refacing the eastern side in brick. St. Mary's altar, recorded in 1490, may have been in the south aisle. In 1504 a parishioner devised the reversion of his lands to build a lady chapel, but there is no evidence that the work was carried out. The vestry recorded in 1596 was presumably on the north side of the chan- cel. Minor repairs were ordered or carried out fairly regularly in the 16th century and the early 17th; stained glass was removed in 1641. Carpenters and masons worked on the 'north aisle' (presumably the north side of the nave) in 1724, and the nave was repewed and the steeple re-leaded in 1726. The nave was ceiled between 1729 and 1747. The west gallery, built by Maria Anna, widow of George Cressener, in 1725, was extended across the south aisle in 1835. In 1838 the church was enlarged by extending the south aisle eastwards. It was restored between 1862 and 1864 to plans by H. W. Hay- ward of Colchester. A north aisle and chapel were added to match those on the south, the chancel was 'renewed', almost all the window tracery was replaced, and the nave ceiling removed. The tower was repaired in 1882. A new belfry arch and screen were provided in 1890 from the proceeds of Cressener's charity. The tower was repaired in 1908 and 1970, and the church was re-roofed in 1966. The church contains monuments to members of the Harlakenden, Eldred, Wale, Carwardine, and Cressener families, including an alabaster wall monument with kneeling figures of Roger Harlakenden (d. 1603) and his three wives. A pulpit bought c. 1609, had been replaced by 1746, and was replaced again in 1864. The plate includes an early 16th-century paten and a late 16th-century chalice. The six bells were all cast by John Warner &amp; Sons of London in 1869 to replace six of 1704 and 1705 by Henry Pleasant. Lich gates at the entrances to the churchyard were erected in 1912.

From: 'Earls Colne: Church', A History of the County of Essex: Volume 10: Lexden Hundred (Part) including Dedham, Earls Colne and Wivenhoe (2001), pp. 99-102. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=15182&amp;amp;strquery=earls colne Date accessed: 16 February 2011.

Earls Colne Airfield, which is situated approximately 1-mile (1.6 km) South-southwest of the village, was a bomber station used by the RAF and USAAF between 1942 and 1955. It is now a golf course, business park and UK and civilian airfield for light aviation. USAAF groups of the Eighth and Ninth Air Forces used the airfield. It was known as USAAF Station AAF-358 for security reasons by the USAAF during the war, and by which it was referred to instead of location. It's USAAF Station Code was "EC".

From 12 June 1943 to 16 October 1943, Earls Colne (along with nearby Marks Hall) served as headquarters for the 3d Combat Bombardment Wing of the 3d Bomb Division.

The station was used by:

331st Bombardment Squadron (BG) 332d Bombardment Squadron (OE) 333d Bombardment Squadron (ET) 410th Bombardment Squadron (QW) 453d Bombardment Squadron (VT) 454th Bombardment Squadron (RJ) 455th Bombardment Squadron (YU) 456th Bombardment Squadron (WT)

In September 1944 the airfield returned to RAF control, with No. 38 Group RAF bomber station operating the Armstrong Whitworth Albemarles and Handley Page Halifaxes. 38 Group was used as a glider towing unit (Squadrons Nos. 296 and 297).

Both squadrons participated in Operation Varsity, the airborne part of the Rhine Crossing in March 1945.

The site includes a memorial

Earls Colne is a village and civil parish which for administraive purposes is in the Braintree district of Essex County Council.

Parish Records
Earls Colne St Andrew Parish Records are available from Seax - Essex Archives Online From the Essex Record Office reference D/P/209 images series cover 1558-1605, 1609-1654, 1653- 1721,1678-1755, and are free online.

Deposited registers are available both on fiche and in typed transcripts in the search room of the Record Office.

Typed transcripts (Two volumes) have been filmed on one reel: Volume 1 contains transcript of marriages 1754-1837, baptsims 1813-1837, burials 1813-1837 and surname indexes. Note at front by vicar, 1941, that transcript was made by Major A.H.T.Smith of EARLS COLNE. Also baptisms 1838-1966, transcribed by Edward G. Scillitoe 1968, and index to surnames A-S

Volume 2 contains index to baptisms 1838-1966 surnames S onwards, marriages 1838-1966 and burials 1838-1966, transcribed by Edward G. Scillitoe 1968, with surname indexes Baptisms, marriages and burials 1967-1971, transcribed by Edward G. Scillitoe 1972, with surname indexes.

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.

From 1837 until 1972 Earls Colne was part of the Halstead Civil Registration District for Births, Marriages and Deaths. From 1 November 1972 the Braintree Registration District has responsibility.

The Register Office, John Ray House, Bocking End, Braintree, CM7 9RW. Tel: 01376 323463. Fax: 01376 342432. E-mail: [mailto:braintree.ro@essexcc.gov.uk braintree.ro@essexcc.gov.uk]

Census
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
Halstead Poor Law Union, Essex

From the mid 17th century leet business declined on both manors until it was almost entirely confined to the election of constables and aletasters for Earls Colne manor. Leets ceased to be held on the priory manor c. 1680, except for one leet in 1724. The usual pattern in the 18th century was for a court leet for Earls Colne manor to be followed immediately by a court baron for the priory manor; both dealt exclusively with transfers of copyholds. After 1780 only courts baron were held, until they ceased in 1885. In the 17th century courts were held at the Bell inn; in 1884 at the George. The stocks and pillory on the earl's manor were out of repair in 1426, and the stocks and the cage in 1770. A cage stood near the church in 1728, another on Colne green c. 1800. In 1728 the vicar was said to have attended vestry meetings so seldom that he had not nomi- nated a churchwarden for years. From the 1740s or earlier the Easter vestry was called the town meeting. Occasional extraordinary meet- ings of 'townsmen' were held at the Blue Boar in the 1740s, and at the Lion in 1764. In 1579 a town house was used for the poor and for meetings, but in 1607 it was leased to a tenant. It may have been Oldhall on Colne green, held by trustees for the poor in 1678, which was converted into a workhouse in 1740. Inmates span wool from the 1740s until 1805. By 1785 and 1786 others were employed hop- picking and stone-picking. In the early 19th century the house held c. 21 people, presumably reflecting the accommodation available. In 1805 it comprised a great ward equipped for weaving, a parlour, the governor's chamber, four other rooms, and the old house, and it held 19 cribs or beds. In 1838 the house was sold to Mary Gee who demolished it. Although in 1724 the parish agreed to arrange to send paupers to Halstead workhouse, between 1728 and 1731 19-23 people received 'standing collection', presumably outdoor relief. From 1729 to 1757 or later the overseers retained a surgeon to treat the poor. From the 1740s to the 1760s outrelief was only given occasionally, usually in times of sickness. By 1772 several pensions of c. 1s. a week were being paid to paupers outside the workhouse, some of them apparently from other parishes. The number of such pensions rose steadily to 53 in 1801, then fell to 29 in 1809 before reaching a peak of 65 in 1813. By 1824 there were c. 20 outpen- sioners. Occasional payments were made for clothes and shoes. Expenditure on the poor more than doubled between 1776 and 1783-5, from c. £194 to an average of £423. By 1803 it had increased to c. £625, of which £393 was spent on the work- house and £232 on outrelief; the amount per head of population, c. 13s., was low for the hun- dred. Expenditure rose to £1,464 in 1813, then almost halved to £744 in 1815. It rose sharply to £1,477 in 1817, fell to £603 in 1823, and then rose slowly to £896 in 1834. Expenditure per head of population, ranging from a high point of £1 8s. in 1813 to a low of c. 10s. in 1823, remained among the lower rates in the hundred and was similar to those of the small towns of Dedham, Wivenhoe, and Coggeshall.

From: 'Earls Colne: Local government', A History of the County of Essex: Volume 10: Lexden Hundred (Part) including Dedham, Earls Colne and Wivenhoe (2001), pp. 98-99. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=15181&amp;amp;strquery=earls colne Date accessed: 16 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.

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