Abbotts Manor

Abbotts Manor stood about one mile north east of the church the land being held at the Domesday Survey by Sasselin. Its modern location would be just north of the Manorway on a line projected along Abbots Hall Chase.

A fine of 1247 is the first record relating to the Manor:-

William le Baud, demandent by Robert de London. William de Septem Molis tenant. a moiety of one knight’s fee with appurtenances except 62 acres of land [and] 10s 8d. of rent, in Stanford. Same demandent Same tenant whom Henry, Abbot of Waltham vouched to warranty. 50 acres of land [and] 6s. 8d. of rent with appurtenances in the same town. (3) Same demandent Same tenant whom William de Capella vouched to warranty. 3 acres of land [and] 4s of rent with appurtenances. in the same town. Demandent quitclaimed to tenant Consideration 10 sterling.

Demandent is another term for Plaintiff and Tenant is another term for Deforciant. A knight’s fee or fief was a measure of land deemed sufficient to support a knight, his family, squires and servants. A moiety is one of two parts of a property ownership. A quitclaim is a transfer of property but without guarantee to the transferee.

William de Septem Molis gifted the manor to Waltham Abbey with the advowson of its Chapel, the Chapel of St.Nicholas, but the date of this later gift is unknown. John Ayleward gifted the pasture of Curry marsh to the Abbey and his income from it of 6d per annum was also paid to the Abbey by William de Septem Molis. The gift of the marsh was however opposed by the Lord of the Fee, (the landlord) Roger de Beauchamp, until the Abbot agreed to pay him 40 marks of silver against the loss of income that would have been incurred by him and his heirs.

At the time of the dissolution of the monasteries in a series of legal processes by an act of King Henry VIII between 1536 and 1541 the lands of Abbotts Manor were farmed by Robert Pake and in 1543 King Henry VIII granted the manor in the name of Stanford Hoope to Walter Farr and his descendants. King Edward VI made a grant of the manor to Robert Curson and his descendants but Walter Farr remained in possession until his death in 1590. By a licence of 1574 Walter had secured the manor to his brother Richard who died in 1595 leaving his sixteen year old son Henry who died in 1608 in possession.

The manor was subsequently in the possession of Thomas Aleyn rector of the Parish who died in 1677 leaving it to his son John whose daughter and heir bought it marriage to William Ashby of Breakspear Middlesex. The manor subsequently passed to Thomas Aleyn Vicar of Cookham Berkshire who sold it to Matthew Fetherstone 1771.

Many of the court papers of the manor survive from the time of Thomas Aleyn and one such dated 16th August 1745 is shown here.

It reads – “Manor of Abbotts Hall in Stanford-le-Hope. Be it remembered that on the 16th day of August in the year of our Lord 1745 Edward Wootten aforesaid blacksmith before Thomas Aleyn clerk lord of this manor appeared and humbly prayed that he might be admitted as tenant to all that waste piece or parcel of ground lying in the manor aforesaid containing by estimate seven roods to the same more or less from the house called or known by the sign of the Cock and Magpye now in the tenancy or occupation of Richard King victualler to the old boundary line of the manor standing on the waste and from thence abutting up to the ground now in the tenure or occupation of the said Richard King.

And the said Lord out of his special grace and favour doth hereby admit the said Edward Wootten to be a tenant of the said piece or parcel of ground to hold for him and his heirs at the will of the lord for the yearly rent of 2 shillings and sixpence and for the said Edward Wootten and his heirs doing service to the said lord and also that the said Edward Wootten and his heirs shall make no other use whatsoever of the said piece or parcel of ground but for a garden and not knowingly or willingly to suffer any living cattle to be kept on the said piece or parcel of ground or do any damage whatsoever to the fences of the said ground now in the tenure or occupation of the said Richard King.”

Interestingly although the terms of the agreement stated quite clearly that the land was to be used only as a garden, be it noted that Edward Wootten was a blacksmith and a smithy was eventually established on this very site whether by Edward Wootten himself or one of his descendants we have been unable to determine.

The Chapel of St.Nicholas was appended to Abbotts Manor and endowed with fourteen acres of glebe with the tithes of Abbotts hall and Curry Marsh. The exact location of the chapel is unknown although there is a field with the name of Chapel Field to the east and south east of Abbotts Hall itself in the approximate position of the Sorrells Roundabout and just north of a field known as Rainbow. This field was so named because of its shape and lay on the north side of Corringham Road. It gives its name to the current Rainbow Lane.

The payment of tithes to the Chapel of St.Nicholas was the subject of a dispute in 1282 between the Abbot of Waltham and William Haste rector of Stanford that resulted in Haste recovering the tithes, nonetheless Haste and some accomplices raided the Chapel and removed part of its contents and then demolished it. He was subsequently ordered to rebuild it by his bishop.

After the dissolution the messuage known at St.Nicholas Free Chapel and its tithes was in 1548 granted to Thomas Golding and Walter Cely. A further dispute between the lessee of the Chapel and the Rector of Stanford took place in 1712 when the lessee claimed tithes from farms in the area other than those stated in the original grant. The rector was able to confirm his rights to the disputed tithes by the production of the original grant of 1282.

There is no information as to the ultimate fate of the chapel and its appurtenances.