History of Black Notley

Black Notley, St Peter and St Paul's Church 1903
Reproduced courtesy of The Francis Frith Collection.

History of Black Notley >> White's Directory 1848

White's Directory of Essex 1848

NOTLEY, (BLACK) a scattered village, from 1 to 2 miles South of Braintree, has in its parish 520 souls and 1936A.2R.17P. of land rising in gentle undulations from the small river Brain, and crossed by the Braintree and Malden Railway, now constructing. About 129A. are woodland, and 36A. waste. The parish includes the small hamlet of Row Green, and was called Nutlea at the Domesday survey. The soil it various, but very fruitful. Daniel Bell Hanbury, Esq., of London, is lord or the manor, but a great part of the soil belongs to Mr. Savill, of Colchester, and other proprietors, mostly freeholders. The hall, or manor house, is occupied by a farmer, and was successively a seat of the Mandeville, Spice, Leveson, and other families. The Spices also held Stauntons; and another estate here, called Buck, or Plumtrees, was the seat of Milbourne Carter, Esq. Several fragments of antiquity were dug up in the parish, in 1752, among which were an oblong blue glass vessel, a copper vessel, and a copper ornament, terminated by a ram's head.

Black Notley Church and Hall,
©Robert Edwards
Photograph by kind permission of Robert Edwards,
contributor to the Geograph Project

The Church (St. Peter and St. Paul,) is an ancient Norman structure, with a wooden turret, containing three bells, and crowned by a shingled spire. It has undergone many repairs, and the windows are mostly insertions of the 15th century, in the perpendicular style. The chancel was renovated in 1847, and the porch is modern, and not in character with the church. The rectory, valued in K.B. at £15, and in 1831 at £487, is now in the patronage of St. John's College, Cambridge, and incumbency of the Rev. Edward Nottidge, M.A.. who has a good parsonage house and 25A.3R.35R. of glebe. The tithes were commuted in 1839, for £497. per annum. For schooling ten poor children, and the relief of eight poor widows of this parish, James Coker, in 1702, left two houses in Braintree and Bocking, now let for £22 per annum; of which £8 is paid to a schoolmaster for the ten free scholars, selected by the rector. The poor parishioners have £8 a year from a house, etc., in Rose alley, London, left by Mary Kitchen, in 1722. The learned Bishop Beddell was born here. In the churchyard is a handsome square monument, on a pedestal, with a long Latin inscription to his memory.