Theydon Mount, Essex Genealogy

England   Essex   Essex Parishes



Parish History
Theydon Mount St Michael is an Ancient parish in Essex.

The diocese of Chelmsford was created in 1914, prior to this Essex parishes were in the jurisdiction of the Bishops of London until 1845 when they transferred to the diocese of Rochester. The diocese of Chelmsford has 474 parishes and 600 churches and is the second largest region in the church of England outside London.

The original parish church of Theydon Mount was dedicated to ST. MICHAEL and ST. STEPHEN. In 1400 the Pope offered indulgences to those who should visit the church and contribute to its upkeep. Reynold Malyns (d. 1431) left 66s. 8d. to the church and for the seats that had been made there. This church was burnt down in 1611; it is said to have been struck by lightning. The present church was certainly in use by 1614. Unlike its predecessor it is dedicated to ST. MICHAEL only. It adjoins the park of Hill Hall. This was effected between 1777 and about 1800 by the diversion of the road south-east of Hill Hall. The church consists of nave, chancel, south porch, and west tower. It is of red brick with plaster dressings. Its special interest lies in the fact that it dates from the single period 1611-14 and has had few alterations. One or two early renaissance details have been used but the main structure is of late gothic style and arrangement. Externally the window and door openings are of moulded brick covered with plaster to simulate stone. The windows on the north and south sides and in the upper stages of the tower have four-centred heads. The larger east and west windows have interlacing tracery and may date from the 18th century. The square tower is of three stages with a castellated parapet and a small shingled spire. The stair turret on the north side reaches to the belfry and has splayed angles. Near the top these are corbelled out to give a square section, a feature which is also found on a stair turret at Hill Hall. The parapet is of moulded brick and has a segmental pediment. The stair is lighted by pierced quatrefoil openings. The south porch has a curvilinear gable with a heavily moulded brick coping. The archway is fourcentred with classical imposts from which rise flanking pilasters supporting an entablature and pediment. This entrance feature is plaster covered and is the only typically renaissance detail to be found externally. Inside the church the chancel and tower arches are pointed and the general impression is gothic. Many of the fittings are of the original date. The marble font, which stands against the west splay of the south doorway, is of most unusual design and may be by the same hand as some of the family monuments which are described below. The stem consists of a square pillar supporting a moulded bowl of black marble. Above the bowl is a bearded mask set in a shell-headed niche. In the west window are several pieces of heraldic glass of the 16th century and later, all of which have been moved from Hill Hall. They include a Tudor royal arms, crowned badges of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, the arms of Sir Thomas Smyth, and a damaged achievement of arms that has not been identified. On the south wall of the nave the Lord's Prayer and the Creed are painted in black letter of the original date. The Ten Commandments in similar script are visible above the chancel arch. The oak benches in the nave are apparently original. The reredos, which has coupled and fluted Corinthian pilasters, dates from about 1700. The black and white floor paving is of the same period. In 1762 the spire was reshingled, the gutters releaded, the windows reglazed, and the flooring of the seats made good at a total cost of £32. In 1837 the church was restored and a gallery was erected under the west tower. This was for the use of the musicians and for the servants at Hill Hall. (fn. 58) The communion rails and those of the gallery at that period were of cast iron. (fn. 59) The oak pulpit, reading-desk, and credence table were presented in 1888 by the Revd. L. N. Prance. The stained glass in the east window was given as a memorial to Major Charles Hunter (d. 1917). In 1926 another restoration took place during which the rafters of the roof were exposed, the gallery removed, and the iron communion rails replaced by oak. The square new belonging to Hill Hall was removed in 1953. There is one bell cast by John Clifton in 1653. The church plate, all of silver, consists of cup and paten cover dated 1587, paten given in 1714 by Dame Jane Smyth, flagon given in 1824 by the rector, the Revd. Edward Smijth, and a salver of 1780. In 1683 there was some pewter plate but none of this now remains. There is a fine series of monuments to the Smyth family. The first of these, that of Sir Thomas Smyth (d. 1577) and 'Philip' his wife (d. 1578), was preserved from the earlier church. It was put in hand during the lifetime of Sir Thomas and there is a suggestion that it was of his own design. It is of alabaster and black marble and stands against the north wall of the chancel. The reclining effigy of Sir Thomas is in armour and Garter robes and has a salamander at its feet. Below is an inscribed altar tomb and above an arched canopy under which are a long inscription and symbolic carving. There are flanking Ionic pilasters supporting an entablature. Above the cornice are two black marble obelisks and an achievement of arms. Opposite is a monument of similar proportions to Sir William Smyth (d. 1626) and Bridget his wife. A crested helmet and part of a surcoat, said to have belonged to Sir William Smyth, hang near by together with a painted cartouche shield. Against the north wall of the chancel is the alabaster tomb of the second Sir William Smyth (d. 1632). The carving is of fine quality and the costumes are of great interest. Opposite this monument is an alabaster and black marble tomb enriched with consoles and cherubs' heads. On it is the recumbent effigy of Sir Thomas Smyth, bt. (d. 1668), in armour and with a curled wig. On the walls of the chancel are many tablets to members of the Symth family dating from the 18th and 19th centuries, and several painted hatchments of the same family. The two black-letter inscriptions on the south wall of the nave have been adapted as memorials. One serves as a memorial for the First World War and the other is in memory of Sir Robert Hudson (d. 1927).

From: 'Theydon Mount: Churches', A History of the County of Essex: Volume 4: Ongar Hundred (1956), pp. 281-282. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=15711&amp;amp;strquery=theydon mount Date accessed: 07 February 2011.

Theydon Mount is a village and a civil parish which for administrative purposes is in the Epping Forest district of the county of Essex, England. Theydon Mount is nearly on the M25 motorway.

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
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Essex Online Parish Clerks (OPC)

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

Census records
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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
Ongar Poor Law Union, Essex

Vestry minute-books of Theydon Mount survive for the period 1715-1942. Apart from the nomination of the surveyors of highways for 1719-92 at vestries held first in December and at a later period in September, the books have very few entries other than those for the annual Easter vestry for the passing of accounts and the nomination of new officers. It is therefore not possible to obtain a complete picture of the administration of the parish. The attendance at the Easter vestry was usually about five. In 1715 the rateable value of the parish was £909, a penny rate thus producing £3 15s. 9d. In that year there was a churchwardens' rate of 1d., a constable's rate of 2½d., and two overseers' rates totalling 5¼d. The churchwardens' rate was usually 1d. until 1766, when it was merged in a general rate. The constable's rate was also 1d. for most of the period 1721-2 to 1756-57, when it was merged with that of the overseers. The overseers' rate had slowly increased, apparently to 10d. in 1727-8 and 1s. 6d. in 1752-3. In 1759-60, however, it was only 3d. and in 1765-6 it was 1s. In and after 1766 there was only one parish rate and one account, known as the overseers' account, from which the churchwardens' and constables' bills were settled as well as those for poor relief. About 1766 also the vestry books cease to give details of disbursements, these being transferred to separate volumes, and only contain brief totals of income and expenditure. In 1774-5 the general rate was 2s. 6d., producing £107. It rose to 5s. 6d. in 1796-7 and in 1800-1 the rate was 9s., producing £422. This was the peak. The income from the rates dropped to £254 two years later and in 1828-9 was £185. The parish had at least one poorhouse by 1776. In most cases, however, the poor seem to have been relieved outside the poorhouse, by cash payments and to a lesser extent by the provision of clothing, fuel, and rent. On at least two occasions, in 1783 and 1789, a spinning-wheel was purchased. In March 1796 16 people were receiving weekly relief. In 1810 Robert Burton Hayward, surgeon of Epping, was engaged to attend the poor for a year at a salary of 6 guineas, with travelling allowances and 10s. for confinements. There are references to the inoculation of pauper families in 1772-3, 1792, and 1793. In the period 1757-8 to 1789-90 the overseers held office for two years. Thereafter they served only for one year. Sir William Smijth, Bt., of Hill Hall was overseer in 1792-3. Between 1745 and 1770 four women served as overseers. In 1833 an assistant overseer was appointed at a salary of £10. A church clerk is mentioned in the churchwardens' account of 1756-7, and again in the overseers' account of 1792-3. His wages were 10s. and 10s. 6d. respectively. In 1842 the parish appointed a paid constable. This is of special interest because the Essex County Constabulary had been founded two years earlier. Theydon Mount appears never to have had a police constable, even in later years. During the period 1715-92 there were only five years when a member of the Smijth family was not nominated as one of the surveyors. Usually it was the baronet who was nominated. In 1836 Theydon Mount became part of Ongar Poor Law Union.

From: 'Theydon Mount: Parish government and poor relief', A History of the County of Essex: Volume 4: Ongar Hundred (1956), pp. 282-283. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=15712&amp;amp;strquery=theydon mount Date accessed: 07 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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Web sites
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