PARISH GOVERNMENT AND POOR RELIEF
The surviving court rolls of the manor of Woolston
Hall run from 1423 to 1749 (fn. 99)
and are continued by court
books for the period 1750-
1863. (fn. 1) There are no rolls for
1460-82 and 1509-46 and
there are a few short gaps later
in the series. The manor court took an active part in
local affairs until the end of the 17th century. Aletasters were appointed regularly until 1640 and constables until 1840. In the early 19th century, when
there was a single constable, he combined this office
with that of woodward, and the court continued to
appoint a woodward by that title alone up to 1862.
There appears to have been a manorial grange and
bakehouse which was derelict by 1463. (fn. 2) The court
dealt with minor nuisances and occasionally with cases
of assault. In 1578 the Poor Relief Act of 1576 (fn. 3) was
invoked to deal with an 'idle woman' harboured in the
house of a manorial tenant. In 1427 and 1606 it was
presented that the lord of the manor ought to repair
bridges, but in 1682 the parish surveyors were presented for failing to repair a footbridge.
There are court rolls for the manor of Chigwell Hall
for the periods 1595-1619 and 1687-1721 and books
for 1734-99 and 1882-1901. (fn. 4) So far as can be judged
from these rolls alone this court during the 17th
century and later dealt only with business relating to
the copyhold tenements of the manor. There are no
records of the appointment of local officials in the
court, but in 1790 the parish vestry nominated two
constables, one for Chigwell Hall lordship and one for
Barringtons lordship (see below). (fn. 5) Neither was the
same man as was appointed constable by the Woolston
court in the same year.
Existing court rolls of the manor of Barringtons cover
the period 1652-1751. (fn. 6) On every occasion except one
during this period the court met only as a court baron.
In 1695 it also viewed frankpledge, and appointed a
constable. The appointment by the vestry in 1790,
however, suggests that a constable was appointed for
this manor on occasions after 1695 which were not
recorded in the rolls.
There is little information concerning poor relief
before the 18th century. The Guild of the Holy
Trinity (see above, Church) took a regular part in
relieving the poor. The poor men's chest in the parish
church is mentioned in 1550, (fn. 7) and the collectors of the
poor in 1564. (fn. 8)
Vestry minute books have survived for 1712-49,
1789-1804, and 1847-94. (fn. 9) There are overseers'
accounts for 1821-36 and an almost complete series
of bills for 1784-1836. (fn. 10)
For a large and fairly populous parish attendance at
the vestry was normally not numerous; there were
rarely more than twelve ratepayers present. Meetings
were usually held in the vestry room, but in 1870 and
1872 exceptionally large attendances necessitated an
adjournment to the 'King's Head'. At the 1872 meeting more than 200 attended to discuss an advance to
the Chigwell School Board. In the later 19th century
the ratepayers of Buckhurst Hill, who outnumbered
those in the rest of the parish, disliked travelling to
Chigwell for vestry meetings, especially because there
was still no direct road between those two parts of the
parish.
There seems to have been no particular system of
rotation in appointing parish officers. Until 1770
churchwardens were appointed for two successive
years but afterwards they often served for longer terms.
From 1730, or earlier, one churchwarden was appointed by the vicar and the other by the parish. Overseers of the poor usually served only for one year, two
being appointed each Easter. There is a vague suggestion that during the 18th century one was appointed
for the lordship of Chigwell Hall and the other for
that of Woolston. Three surveyors of highways were
appointed each year, one each for the lordships of
Chigwell Hall, Woolston, and Barringtons. This
office was often taken by the gentry, and in the middle
of the 18th century William Harvey, lord of Barringtons, served his own lordship for many years. There is
no evidence that the vestry nominated constables before
1790. A resolution of 1721 prohibited the appointment of a deputy by any parish officer without the
vestry's approval. A paid assistant overseer was appointed in 1827 and served continuously until 1839,
when he became the relieving officer for Epping District under the Epping Board of Guardians. An
assistant overseer was again appointed in 1840, and in
1852 he was also made collector of the poor rate and
paid a commission of 3 per cent. of the rates collected. (fn. 11)
In 1727 there were 2 men, 5 women, and 5 children
receiving regular poor relief. A year later a house in
Chigwell was converted into a workhouse and in 1733
the vestry resolved to send all out-pensioners there. In
1730 a workhouse master had undertaken to maintain
the poor for a 10d. rate, but this arrangement seems to
have lasted only a few years. In 1745 all pensioners
were ordered to wear the parish badge. The workhouse remained adequate for the needs of the parish
until 1790, when a larger house in Gravel Lane was
taken on lease. This was used as the parish workhouse
until 1836 when it was taken over by the Epping
Union, (fn. 12) which used it until the new Union house was
opened in 1838. (fn. 13) In 1796 the poor were farmed out
to a workhouse master at 15 guineas a year; he also
received 2 guineas for acting as parish beadle.
Of the 94 surviving settlement certificates dated
between 1699 and 1791 received by the parish officers
60 were issued by parishes in south-west Essex, 12
elsewhere in the county (mostly in the north-west), 6
in Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, and Suffolk,
12 in London, Middlesex, Surrey and Kent. One was
for a blacksmith from Taunton and one for a barber
and wig-maker from Berwick-on-Tweed. The others
were from Wellingborough (Northants.) and Steeple
Aston (Oxon.). (fn. 14)
The 106 surviving apprenticeship indentures drawn
up between 1671 and 1809 show that most pauper
children were apprenticed to masters within the
parish. (fn. 15) For many years the ratepayers took these
children as apprentices on a rota system. In 1727 a
woman paid a fine of £10 to avoid taking a child
allotted to her. In 1730 it was resolved not to pay
relief to travellers through the parish even though they
carried passes; it was considered that as the main road
through Chigwell led only to Ongar such passengers
had no need of assistance.
In 1792 one of the overseers was Joshua Jenour, a
well-known author and pamphleteer and a man of
advanced views. (fn. 16) In that year he planned to build a
pest-house out of the poor rates. As he had not consulted either his fellow officers or the vestry, the churchwardens ordered him to desist. He moved a resolution
at a subsequent vestry meeting that the house should be
built, but this was defeated. Among his supporters were
three local doctors, while the opposition came mainly
from the farmers and larger ratepayers. In 1794 the
vestry supported a plan proposed by John Conyers for
the relief of the poor of the hundreds of Ongar, Harlow,
and Waltham, but later withdrew support. In 1795
the high price of flour was met by subsidizing from the
rates the bread bought by the poor from local bakers,
and by the agreement of the wealthier inhabitants to
use flour from which 7 lb. bran a bushel had been
extracted. In 1800 it was decided to provide the poor
with substitutes for flour, mainly rice and potatoes, and
the ratepayers were urged to use similar substitutes
themselves.
The overseers' expenditure in the year ending at
Easter 1724 was £151, and in 1745 £180. In 1783
the total poor rate was £485. (fn. 17) Expenditure rose to
£716 in 1791 and in 1801 the poor rate was £1,086. (fn. 18)
Between 1801 and 1821 the rate fluctuated considerably; it was highest in 1820 (£2,519) and lowest in
1811 (£630), but was usually between £1,000 and
£2,000. (fn. 19) Overseers' expenditure was £1,339 in 1823
and £1,614 in 1836.
There are few references to the work of the surveyors of highways. Some of their activities are
described above (see p. 19). Nor is there much
information about the constables. In 1714 the vestry
ordered that the stocks, watch house, and whippingpost should be repaired. John Rowe, constable in
1828-32, arrested while in office 207 offenders, including burglars, highway robbers, and cattle thieves.
Probably most of the offences took place not in Chigwell itself but in the forest at Buckhurst Hill or
Chigwell Row, both notorious haunts of criminals. (fn. 19a)
In 1840 Chigwell became part of the Metropolitan
Police District. (fn. 20) In 1851 there were a sergeant and
four constables in the parish. (fn. 21) In 1911 there were 3
sergeants, 2 acting sergeants, and 18 constables,
attached to J Division, Metropolitan Police. (fn. 22) Chigwell
Hall is now the sports club for No. 5 District, Metropolitan Police.