History of Chignall St. James

History of Chignall St. James >> White's Directory 1848

White's Directory of Essex 1848

CHIGNAL ST. JAMES; is a small parish, 3½ miles North West by West of Chelmsford, containing only 252 souls, and about 909 acres of land between two tributary streams of the river Can. It has been variously spelt Chicknall, Chighenale, and Cingehala. The latter was its name at the Domesday Survey. It is in two manors, one called Chignal St.Mary and St.James, and the other Hawes or Hittats. T.W. Bramston, Esq., is lord of the manor, and owner of most of the soil; and the rest belongs to Mr. W. Crush, and other proprietors. The Hall, now a farm house, is a large Elizabethan building, which was erected in 1552, and was a seat of the Rochester, Barker, and Petre families; from the latter of whom it passed to the Bramstons. Many human bones were dug up some years ago, on the spot where St.Mary's church is supposed to have stood.

St. James' Church is a small antique fabric of brick and stone, with a wooden spire. The rectory, valued in K.B. at £10.14s.7d., and in 1832, at £432, with those of St. Mary and Mashbury annexed to it, is in the gift of the Executors of the late Rev. B. Hanbury, and incumbency of the Rev. J.G. Milne, M.A. It has a good residence, and 35A.1R.6P. of glebe; and the tithes here, were commuted in 1846, for £261.8s.10d. per annum. In 1702, Thomas Woodward left for the poor, a cottage and three acres of land, now let for £11.10s. which is distributed in weekly doles of bread. The poor parishioners have also a yearly rent charge of 6s.8d. left by an unknown donor, out of Britton's Hall, in this parish, belonging to General Strutt.