ECONOMIC HISTORY.
In 1066 the larger
part of the later Aldham manor, in the southern
half of the parish, was assessed at 1 hide less
5 a.; the only tenant then, 1 villanus, was not
recorded in 1086. The demesne was cultivated
by 4 servi with 2 ploughs in both 1066 and 1086,
and the only recorded livestock in 1086 were 6
cattle and 1 horse; there was wood for 12 swine,
and 3 a. of meadow. Despite little change in its
resources, the manor doubled in value from 30s.
to 60s. between 1066 and 1086. On the 40 a.
which became part of Little Fordham manor the
3 bordarii in 1066 and 6 in 1086 had only ½
plough. The wood was enough for 10 swine, and
there were 3 a. of meadow. The berewick of
Great Tey which may have become part of Little
Fordham was cultivated by 1 bordarius and 2
servi with 2 ploughs in 1066 and 1 plough in
1086; there was wood for 24 swine. (fn. 50)
Although comparatively little woodland was
recorded on the Aldham manors in 1086, part
of the Great Tey manor wood (fn. 51) was in Aldham.
Field names suggest that the modern Hoe,
earlier Bad, wood is the surviving part of wood-
land which once covered much of the northern
quarter of the parish. Part of the wood was prob-
ably cleared by 1284, and more of it by 1370. (fn. 52)
The croft at the east end of Gallows green called
Reddings in 1392, and another near Stock field
on the north-west parish boundary called
Reedings in 1475, had probably been cleared
from woodland, as had the Breach, near Aldham
Hall c. 1675. (fn. 53) The names of Brockleys (1334)
and Checkleys (1625) farms in the west of the
parish, with the 17th-century fieldnames in 'ley'
further east, may also denote former woodland. (fn. 54)
Common meadows were grouped along the
Colne and the Roman river, intermixed with the
demesne meadows of Great Tey manor, while
other meadows lay along tributary streams. By
1392 Aldham Hall's demesne meadow was also
on the Colne, detached from the main part of
the manor; by 1485 part of it was inclosed. (fn. 55)
By the 15th century most holdings apparently
lay in crofts or fields which were divided among
several tenants, like the 4 a. in a field near Hoe
wood in 1409, or Colne priory's parcel in
Walcroft c. 1410. (fn. 56) In 1582 and 1595 plots of 5 a.
and 2 a. lay in larger fields. (fn. 57) By 1625 a great
field in the south-western quarter of the parish
had been divided into smaller closes. The
Changes, near Hoe Farm, had been divided into
7 closes by 1641 when 28 a. there was leased to
a tenant who was forbidden to plough any greens
or doles. (fn. 58) In 1656 a ½-a. plot and a 3½-a. croft
were both part of Lay fields, an area of over 12 a.
in the northern half of the parish, and by 1658
a 1½-a. plot in the nearby Yield field had been
divided from the remainder of the field. (fn. 59)
A 40-year lease granted c. 1259 provided for
the land to be marled at the end of the term. (fn. 60)
In 1286 the 260 a. of arable in Aldham manor
was worth as much as 6d. an acre, the 7 a. of
pasture 1s. an acre, and the 7 a. of meadow 2s.
an acre. On Bourchiers Hall or Little Fordham
manor, which lay partly on the London clay, in
1329 the 180 a. of arable was worth only 3d. an
acre, the 8 a. of pasture 6d. an acre, and the 7 a.
of meadow 2s. an acre. (fn. 61) Wheat, oats, and rye
were grown on the Aldham Hall demesne in
1329 and 1350, with barley in 1350, and as many
as 80 sheep were impounded on the manor in
1431. The demesne of Aldham Hall manor was
farmed for the absentee lords by bailiffs in the
earlier 15th century, but was being leased by
1443. (fn. 62) In 1414 Little Fordham demesne,
stocked with cattle worth £8 14s., and with
wheat, oats, and peas, presumably for seed, was
leased for £20 a year. (fn. 63) In 1325 a villein tenant
of Aldham Hall manor owed two works each
week. By c. 1350 works were apparently being
commuted, half a day's mowing being assessed
at 1½d., although only two tenants appear to
have owed works. Rents in kind then included
hens, a knife worth 2d., and ½ lb. of wax. (fn. 64) In
1579 a meadow on Little Fordham manor still
paid a rent of a fork and a hen, but by 1730 it
paid 1s. 4d. (fn. 65)
Fifteen people were assessed for the eight-
eenth in 1319 at a total of 61s. 3¼d., and the
same number at 33s. 2¾d. for the twentieth in
1327. The total payments were about average
for the hundred, although the numbers assessed
were among the lowest. In both years the highest
assessment, 18s. 3½d. and 6s., was on Robert
Poer, undertenant of Little Fordham (Bour-
chiers Hall). (fn. 66) Poer was apparently succeeded by
James at Lee, who held other lands in Aldham
Hall and Great Tey manors. (fn. 67)
In 1523 as many as 35 people were assessed
for subsidy, 11 on land, 18 on goods, and only
6 on wages. Roger Draper, who held Hoe Farm
with c. 80 a. and probably also another small
freehold centred on Rye House, was assessed
on land worth £26 13s. 4d.; Robert Newton,
assessed on goods worth £40, had farmed
Aldham Hall manor in 1496 and held land in
Chappel. Robert George, assessed on £25-worth
of goods, was presumably the wealthy husband-
man who held land in Fordham and Little
Horkesley as well as a house and land in Ford-
street, probably the modern Old House. Thirty-
six people, 27 of whom had been assessed in
1523, were assessed in 1524; the highest assess-
ments were on the same men as in 1523. (fn. 68)
Sixteenth-century wills, which frequently
contain bequests of cows, imply mixed farming.
In 1542 an Aldham man who also held land in
Little Tey bequeathed 2 or more cows, 6 other
cattle, and 6 seams of wheat. Another, who held
land in Copford, Fordham, and Lexden, c. 1550
bequeathed 4 seams of barley and ½ seam of
malt. A widow left 27 sheep and lambs and 11
cattle, in 1553. (fn. 69)
Hops were being grown before 1639, and a
lease of 1611 protected orchards from grazing
cattle. (fn. 70) Other 17th-century leases prescribed a
rotation of 2 corn crops and a fallow, a practice
which continued in the 18th century. (fn. 71) In 1708
a tenant farmer grew wheat, bullimong (a mix-
ture of oats, peas, and vetches), barley, maslin,
peas, and white oats, and kept 5 milk cows. (fn. 72) In
1675 there was an osier grove by the Colne. (fn. 73)
In the 17th century most of the parish was
divided between the two manors, Aldham Hall
in the south and Bourchiers Hall in the north,
although land near the western boundary was in
Great Tey manor. The Aldham Hall demesne
included Church (later Church House) wood
and arable land near the church. A croft (1 a.)
next to Aldham Hall barnyard was in Bourchiers
Hall manor in 1615, as was a small close near
the rectory house. (fn. 74) Some 17th-century man-
orial lords were resident, but the 18th-century
lords lived in Suffolk. (fn. 75)
In 1763 the five principal farms, three of them
containing over 250 a., were all leased from the
owner of the manors. They contained a total of
1,021 a. of arable to 33 a. of pasture and 84 a.
of meadow. Land on Aldham Hall and Church
House farms in the southern half of the parish
was still slightly more valuable than that on
Bourchiers Hall and the two smaller farms to
the north and west. (fn. 76) Potash was used on the
light loam in the south of the parish in the 17th
and 18th centuries, and marling was practised
in the early 19th century. (fn. 77) Turnips, clover, and
grasses were being grown by 1782. (fn. 78) In 1795
yields of wheat were average, those of barley,
oats, and beans slightly below average for the
district. (fn. 79)
Aldham Hall manor contained 40 a. of wood
in 1595, probably Church and Hall woods. (fn. 80)
Woodland at Ockford grove, west of Church
House farm, was cleared before 1722. (fn. 81) Bagg,
Badway, or Bad, later Hoe, wood (21 a.) in Great
Tey manor was coppiced in the 17th and 18th
centuries; a westward extension, East wood
(7½ a.) was cleared c. 1771. (fn. 82) Great wood (31
a.), which almost surrounded Bourchiers Hall in
1675, was cleared between 1839 and 1857. (fn. 83) In
1839 there was 93 a. of woodland in the parish;
in 1905 c. 64 a. (fn. 84) Aldham Hall wood, formerly
Breach wood, was felled before 1958; the name
has since been applied to the former Panfield
grove. (fn. 85) Hoe wood, acquired by the Woodland
Trust in 1990, and most of Church House wood
survived in 1998.
By 1839 about 85 per cent of the parish (1,280
a.) was arable. The main crops were presumably
those reported in 1801: wheat, then grown on
358 a., followed by barley (197 a.), oats (156 a.),
and peas (66 a.), with smaller acreages of beans,
turnips or rape, and potatoes. (fn. 86) In 1824 there
were 15 farms or smallholdings, the largest
being Church House (229 a.) and Aldham Hall
(203 a.); several extended beyond the parish. (fn. 87)
Most 19th-century leases required a rotation
of (1) wheat, (2) barley or oats, (3) peas, beans,
or clover, and (4) summer fallow, or turnips or
colewort (cabbage or greens) eaten off by cattle. (fn. 88)
In 1851 the eight farms ranged from 277 a.
(at Church House) down to 22 a. By 1861
Bourchiers Hall farm had grown to 300 a., prob-
ably extending into Chappel, and by 1871
Church House had grown to 530 a., probably
extending into Great Tey. By 1881 five of the
six farms contained 200-600 a. of land, some of
it probably in neighbouring parishes. Much of
the south-west corner of Aldham was farmed
from Little Tey. (fn. 89)
In 1905 there were 10 farms in the parish, 2
of them over 300 a. The land was predominantly
arable (1,078 a.), with only 222 a. of permanent
grass and 178 a. of clover for grazing. The prin-
cipal crops were wheat (274 a.), barley (210 a.),
oats (153 a.), and rye (24 a.); clover, lucerne, and
vetches were grown on 114 a. and root crops on
156 a. Livestock included 33 cows, 105 other
cattle, 145 sheep; and 188 pigs. Orchards
covered 3 a. (fn. 90) In 1918 Aldham Hall farm (222
a.), then owner-occupied, grew linseed, turnips,
red clover, sainfoin, potatoes, and mangolds as
well as wheat, oats, and barley; livestock
included 20 store cattle, 237 sheep, 10 pigs, and
poultry. (fn. 91) In 1942 the gravel outcrops were per-
manent grass, supporting dairy herds at Hill,
Aldham Hall, and Church House farms; the
boulder clay was arable, producing wheat,
barley, clover, oats, fruit, and vegetables. (fn. 92)
Dairy farming had ceased at Hill Farm and
Aldham Hall by 1955, but continued at Church
House in 1998. In 1989 Aldham Hall farm grew
oilseed rape and beans as well as wheat and
barley. (fn. 93) Other crops grown in the parish in 1998
included potatoes, borage, and maize.
Crapes fruit farm, (fn. 94) established in 1922, con-
tinued in 1998; another orchard was grubbed up
in the early 1990s. A nursery grew carnations
from the 1930s to the 1960s, and Mill Race
nursery, started in 1973, continued in 1998. A
garden centre operated 1975-95; in 1998 its site
was occupied by Novartis BCM, supplier of
natural insect predators for agriculture. A stud
farm at Bourchiers Hall c. 1948 moved to New
Road in the 1980s. Former meadows grew
cricket bat willow in 1998.
Aldham men became Colchester burgesses
from 1387, among them in 1402 a peltmonger.
Another, James Strachan, admitted 1550-1,
probably lived at Churchmans, later Church
House Farm; in 1578 he bequeathed 3 pairs of
shears and all his 'shop stuff', perhaps in
Colchester. (fn. 95) In 1589 a yeoman, perhaps an
immigrant from Warrington (Lancs.), owned a
loom. (fn. 96) A tilemaker worked in Aldham in 1450.
In 1646 there was a Tylekill house on the out-
crop of London clay north-west of Old
Bourchiers Hall, and Tilekiln road was repaired
in 1808. (fn. 97)
The usual village craftsmen, including black-
smiths and farriers in Fordstreet and Gallows
green and wheelwrights in Fordstreet, were
recorded in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries.
A bowmaker took an assistant in 1568; a glover
was recorded in 1610 and a tailor in 1635. (fn. 98) A
draper in Fordstreet in 1746 was described as a
shopkeeper in 1767 when an innholder was also
a baker. (fn. 99) A maltings in Fordstreet in 1730 con-
tinued until 1871 or later. (fn. 1) Surgeons practised
in Fordstreet from c. 1736 until 1843. (fn. 2)
In 1851 the 87 agricultural labourers were by
far the largest group of workers in the parish;
apart from the rector and the larger farmers, the
only employers were the miller, a maltster, and
a seed grower, each of whom employed 3 men,
and a cordwainer who employed one. Among
the small tradesmen were 4 carpenters, 3 black-
smiths, and a tailor; shopkeepers included a
fishmonger, a grocer, 2 bakers, and 2 butchers.
Only 1 woman was recorded as a straw plaiter
and 1 as a tambour lace-maker; 4 worked in the
clothing trade, and 3 in a silk factory. (fn. 3)
In 1871 there were 79 agricultural labourers.
The next largest category of employees were
the 18 domestic servants. Three men worked at
the mill, and 21 others, including 3 carpenters,
3 bootmakers, 1 harness maker, and 1 sack
maker, worked in the usual rural trades. The
2 brickmakers probably worked at the Marks
Tey brickworks. In 1881 there were only 70
agricultural labourers, the miller employed 6
men, as did a wheelwright and blacksmith, and
there were 6 shopkeepers; 3 men worked on the
railway, and there was a resident police
constable. (fn. 4)
In 1956 Berry's structural engineering works
moved from Copford into Aldham; its products
included agricultural machinery as well as steel
building components for Colchester barracks,
Colchester zoo, and local schools. The business
was sold in 1982 and closed in 1996; in 1998 the
building was a furniture factory. (fn. 5) A blacksmith's
and farrier's business near Fordstreet operated
from c. 1980 until 1998. Fordstreet contained
several shops in the later 20th century, including
a bakery until the 1960s, antique shops in the
1970s, and a carpenter's shop which continued
until 1985. The village shop there closed in
1988.
A windmill on Aldham Hall manor in 1286 (fn. 6)
was not recorded again. A watermill in Ford-
street, recorded from 1327, descended with
Bourchiers Hall manor until it was sold to
the miller in 1741. (fn. 7) In 1414 it contained a fulling
mill and a corn mill. The mill was still a fulling
mill in 1666, but was a corn mill only in 1777. (fn. 8)
Later 19th-century millers added a steam turbine
in a four-storeyed brick mill. The mill, which
had already ceased working, was demolished
c. 1917. (fn. 9)
Toy fairs were held at Fordstreet, possibly on
the Fordham bank of the river, on Easter Tuesday
and 1 November in 1767. The November fair
ceased before 1859, but the Easter Tuesday one
may have continued until the 1880s. (fn. 10)