LITTLE ILFORD
The ancient parish of Little Ilford, about 6 miles
north-east of London, forms part of the London
borough of Newham. (fn. 1) The area is now usually
called Manor Park, a name first used in the 19th
century for the suburban settlement near Manor
Park railway station. Little Ilford was bounded east
by the river Roding which divided it from Great
Ilford, in Barking parish. (fn. 2) Its southern and western
boundaries marched with East Ham and its northern
boundary with Wanstead. The section of the parish
north of the main road to Ilford and Romford, which
formed the manor of Aldersbrook, appears to have
been transferred from Wanstead to Little Ilford early
in the 16th century. (fn. 3) Even after that Little Ilford was
the smallest parish in Becontree hundred, with an
area in the 19th century of 768 a. (fn. 4) Until about 1850
it was thinly populated. Growth then began, slow
at first but becoming more rapid in the 1880s. In
1886 the parish was merged in the sanitary district
of East Ham, and it subsequently formed part of
East Ham urban district, municipal borough, and
county borough. The present account describes the
history of Little Ilford up to 1886, while its later
history is treated under East Ham. A few exceptions
to this arrangement are made clear by means of
cross-references.
The land is about 25 ft. above sea level in the
west of the parish, and slightly lower in the east, by
the Roding. The soil is mainly valley gravel. The
name Ilford ('ford through the river Hile' [Roding]), (fn. 5)
seems originally to have been applied to the area
west of the river, but during the 13th century that
area began to be called Little Ilford, to distinguish
it from the growing settlement of Great Ilford, east
of the river. After the 13th century Little Ilford is
usually so styled, while references to Ilford, without
an adjective, usually mean Great Ilford.
In an earlier volume the Roding and its bridges
have already been described in relation to Great
Ilford, and most of that account is relevant also to
Little Ilford. (fn. 6) Little Ilford was like Great Ilford,
also, in being partly within the Forest of Essex. (fn. 7)
But in other respects the two places were very
different. Great Ilford, a village on the main road
from London to Colchester, grew steadily from the
Middle Ages up to the 19th century. Little Ilford
was traversed by the same road, but its centre of
population, which lay ½ mile south of that road, by
the church, seems to have grown little from the 11th
century to the nineteenth. In 1086 the recorded
population of Little Ilford manor was 10. (fn. 8) This
probably did not include the area north of the main
road, (fn. 9) but that area, which lay within the forest,
and later formed the manor of Aldersbrook, is
unlikely to have had many inhabitants then. In 1650
it was stated that the parish contained only 6 or 7
families south of the main road, and 4 to the north
of it. (fn. 10) The total number of houses was listed as 14
in 1662 and 18 in 1670. (fn. 11) In 1801 there were 15. (fn. 12)
A map of 1777 (fn. 13) shows the parish before modern
changes. The hamlet of Little Ilford comprised the
parish church, the Manor farm, and a few cottages.
There was one building (the Three Rabbits) in the
main road, north of which lay Aldersbrook House
with its park and home farm. Aldersbrook was pulled
down about 1786 and the park became farm-land,
but this seems to have had little effect on the growth
of the parish. Between 1801 and 1831 the population
was about 100. (fn. 14) An increase to 189 in 1841 was due
to the building of a gaol within the parish, (fn. 15) and it
was not until after 1851 that the normal population
began to grow substantially. The new development
started in the west of the parish. During the 1850s
and 1860s a number of houses were built on the
east side of White Post Lane (now High Street
North) and in Greenhill Grove, (fn. 16) on a small estate
previously belonging to the Greenhill family. (fn. 17) About
1870 building began on the East Ham side of the
parish boundary, immediately north of Romford
Road, at Manor Park, which took its name from the
Manor House estate formerly owned by the Fry
family. (fn. 18) By 1891 the population of Little Ilford
was 3,969. (fn. 19) Building had by then advanced east
along Romford Road and neighbouring streets at
least as far as Third Avenue. (fn. 20) As elsewhere this
development was largely dependent on the railways,
but Manor Park was peculiar in that very little
building was possible to the north of the railway.
In 1854 Aldersbrook farm had been acquired by
the city of London as a cemetery. The city subsequently took the lead in preventing the inclosure
of Epping Forest, thus ensuring that Wanstead
Flats, adjoining their cemetery to the west, should
remain as a public open space. (fn. 21) Meanwhile another
cemetery had been laid out, by a private company,
on the East Ham side of Manor Park, south of
Wanstead Flats. (fn. 22) There was thus great pressure on
the limited building land available to the south of
the railway: this may account for the speed with
which that part of Little Ilford was developed in the
1890s, and for the poor quality of some of the new
housing. (fn. 23)
The only pre-19th-century building remaining
is the former parish church of St. Mary, Church
Road. (fn. 24) Greenhill Grove contains a number of
yellow-brick cottages dating from the 1850s and
1860s, and the original lodge and chapels of the city
of London cemetery are of the same period, but
most of the buildings in Little Ilford were erected
between 1890 and 1910. Among the few larger
buildings which existed before the 19th century
but have been demolished were the manorhouses of Little Ilford and Aldersbrook, and the
rectory. (fn. 25) The Three Rabbits and the Coach and
Horses public houses, Romford Road, which dated
from the 18th century or earlier, have been replaced
by modern buildings of the same name. (fn. 26) Little
Ilford house of correction (or county gaol) was built
in 1829–31 by Essex quarter sessions. (fn. 27) In 1860 it
was reorganized for prisoners on remand or serving
short sentences. (fn. 28) It was closed in 1878 and demolished soon after. (fn. 29) Its site, now partly covered
by houses and shops, was on the north side of
Romford Road, between Worcester and Gloucester
Roads.
In the 18th century the road system of Little
Ilford was very simple. (fn. 30) Romford Road, running
through the centre of the parish, was the ancient
main road from London to Romford and Colchester.
It is shown on early maps of Essex (fn. 31) and was probably of Roman origin. (fn. 32) It continued to be the
main road until 1925, when Eastern Avenue was
opened farther north. From 1721 it was controlled
by the Middlesex and Essex turnpike trust. (fn. 33) A
toll-gate stood immediately west of Ilford Bridge.
A toll-house which was on the north side of the
road, near Ilford Bridge, survived until about 1900
or later as the Little Wonder coffee house. (fn. 34) Running
south from the main road was Little Ilford Lane, (fn. 35)
leading to the church, where it joined Little Ilford
Road (now Church Road). Little Ilford Road ran
west to join White Post Lane. It went east only as
far as the present Dersingham Avenue: at that end
it served only the manor-house. White Post Lane
(now High Street North), running from Romford
Road south to East Ham, is described under that
parish. (fn. 36) North of Romford Road there were tracks
across Wanstead Flats roughly on the lines of the
present Aldersbrook Road and Forest Drive. (fn. 37)
The ancient road system described in the previous
paragraph survived almost unchanged until the
1880s, but before that time Little Ilford was intersected by railways: the Eastern Counties (later
Great Eastern) line from London to Romford (1839)
and beyond, the London, Tilbury and Southend
line from Forest Gate to Barking (1854), and its
cut-off from Bow to Barking (1858). (fn. 38) In 1872, after
a petition from the inhabitants of Little Ilford, the
G.E.R. opened Manor Park station. This was
rebuilt in 1893–4. (fn. 39) A tramway from Stratford and
Forest Gate to White Post Lane was completed in
1887. (fn. 40)
By 1861 there was a sub-post office at Little
Ilford, receiving letters through Great Ilford, then
in the London postal district. (fn. 41) In 1867 Great Ilford
and its dependencies were transferred to the eastern
counties district, (fn. 42) but in 1883 it was decided to
form a new sub-district of Manor Park within the
London postal district. In 1917 this became the
E. 12 district. (fn. 43) A telegraph office was established
at Manor Park in 1886. (fn. 44) Manor Park is served by
the Ilford telephone exchange, opened by the
National Telephone Co. in 1900. (fn. 45)
Eminent residents of Little Ilford include Sir
John Heron (d. 1521), Henry Herbert, earl of Pembroke (d. 1601), John Lethieullier (d. 1737) and his
son Smart (d. 1760), all of whom were lords of
Aldersbrook. (fn. 46) Among rectors Thomas Newton (d.
1607) and Arthur T. W. Shadwell (d. 1893) achieved
distinction. (fn. 47)
MANORS.
The manor of LITTLE ILFORD, also
known from the 17th century as BERENGERS, (fn. 48)
comprised that part of the parish lying to the south
of the ancient road to London. In 1066 it was held
by two freemen as a manor and as 3 hides less 30 a. (fn. 49)
In 1086 it was held by Jocelin the Lorimer, who
had taken 24 a. from the manor of Barking. (fn. 50) In
1210–12 Halnoth de Sifrewast, who had succeeded
William de Sifrewast at Purley (Berks.) before 1186 (fn. 51)
held Ilford in chief for one knight's fee. (fn. 52) By 1217
Halnoth had been succeeded by his son William, (fn. 53)
who in 1226–8 was engaged in litigation with Barking
Abbey concerning suit at the hundred court. (fn. 54)
Statements made in this case seem to imply that
William's family had held land at Ilford since the
reign of Henry II, but the only member of the family
who was named was his father's sister Isabel, widow
of a certain Alan, who was holding land there
(evidently not Little Ilford manor) in dower between
1170 and 1181. In 1233 William de Sifrewast
granted 20 a. land in Ilford to Robert of Ilford for
life. (fn. 55) In 1238–9 William was challenged by Roger
de Quercu, in right of his wife Agnes, who claimed
the manor as great-granddaughter of 'Joceamus',
said to have been the tenant under Henry I. (fn. 56)
Joceamus sounds like Jocelin the Lorimer, the
Domesday tenant, who may well have survived into
the reign of Henry I. The dispute was settled in
1240, when Roger and Agnes surrendered their
claim. (fn. 57) William de Sifrewast was dead by 1244,
leaving as his heir his son Nicholas, then a minor. (fn. 58)
At his death he still held lands in Essex, but his
Ilford estate seems to have passed soon after into
the hands of William de la Pole. In 1254 Pole was
patron of the church of Little Ilford, an appurtenance of the manor, (fn. 59) and in 1259 he granted the
advowson and one carucate of land in Ilford, together
with the tenement that Robert of Ilford once held
there, to the abbey of Stratford Langthorne, to hold
by rent of 45s. a year and service of ¼ knight's fee. (fn. 60)
In 1291 the abbey's temporal estate at Ilford was
valued at £11 12s. 1½d. a year. (fn. 61)
In 1538, when Stratford Abbey was surrendered
to the Crown, (fn. 62) its estate in Little Ilford and the
adjoining parish of Barking comprised the manors of
Little Ilford, Rayhouse, and Berengers. Rayhouse,
which was at Great Ilford, (fn. 63) and Berengers, (fn. 64)
which was in Barking town, were both free tenements held of the manor of Barking. An account
for the year 1537–8 shows that Little Ilford and
Rayhouse were then farmed out for £17 10s. 8d. a
year. (fn. 65)
In 1542 the Crown granted the manors of Little
Ilford, Rayhouse, and Berengers, and the advowson
of Little Ilford, to Morgan Phillips, alias Wolfe,
king's goldsmith. (fn. 66) The three manors passed from
Morgan Phillips (d. 1552) to his son Julian Morgan
alias Wolfe (d. 1556). (fn. 67) Henry Morgan, son of
Julian, succeeded to Little Ilford and Berengers,
and was still holding them in 1583. (fn. 68) Rayhouse had
been detached from the rest of the estate by 1570 or
earlier. (fn. 69) Soon after 1583 Little Ilford and Berengers
passed to Edward Onley, son of Julian Morgan's
widow Jane by her second husband, Thomas Onley,
and in 1596 Edward sold the two manors to Hugh,
John, and Nicholas Hare. (fn. 70) In 1605 the estate was
bought from the Hares by Bernard Hyde, salter of
London. (fn. 71) Hyde was apparently living at Little
Ilford in 1614–18, (fn. 72) but he and his descendants seem
to have resided mainly in Mincing Lane, St. Dunstan's in the East (Lond.), or at Boar Place, Chiddingstone (Kent). (fn. 73) On his death in 1631 he was
succeeded by his son Bernard (d. 1656) and he by his
son Sir Bernard (d. 1674). (fn. 74) Another Sir Bernard
was apparently holding the estate in 1683, (fn. 75) but by
1687 it had passed to Humphrey Hyde who in 1701
sold it to Henry Wight, (fn. 76) already the owner of
Gayshams, in Great Ilford. (fn. 77) By the end of the
17th century the original distinction between Little
Ilford and Berengers had been forgotten and the
two names were being used indifferently to describe
the whole property.
Little Ilford and Berengers descended along with
Gayshams until 1873, when the estate of John
Hibbit Wight (d. 1867) was advertised for sale by
Chancery order, (fn. 78) and subsequently broken up.
The Hibbit Wight family had been the largest landowners in Little Ilford. They do not appear to have
lived in the parish, though for some years, about
1810–25, William Hibbit lived near by at West
Ham. (fn. 79) In 1838 their lands in the parish comprised
363 a., of which 253 a. (Manor farm and Bolts farm)
were let to Henry Hunsdon, who had been there
since 1827. (fn. 80) The Hunsdons remained tenants until
the 1860s. (fn. 81) In 1873 Manor farm (250 a.) was
occupied by James Tyler, on a 21-year lease granted
in 1868. (fn. 82) After the sale of 1873 Charles Bartholomew, of Ealing (Mdx., later Lond.), became principal landowner in the parish. (fn. 83) In 1890–4 he was
running Manor farm through a bailiff. (fn. 84) He died
early in 1895, and the development of the 'Manor
House Estate' for building began in the following
year. (fn. 85)
Little Ilford Manor House, later Manor House
farm, which stood near the present junction of
Dersingham Avenue and Church Road, (fn. 86) had been
demolished by 1901. (fn. 87) It was a modest building
having a symmetrical front of five bays and a large
octagonal lantern or look-out surmounting the roof. (fn. 88)
Those features appear to have dated from the 18th
century, but a central two-storeyed porch had an
inner doorway surmounted by a four-centred arch. (fn. 89)
Irregular structures at the rear also suggest that the
house was of 16th- or early-17th-century origin. (fn. 90)
The manor of ALDERSBROOK occupied the
part of Little Ilford parish lying to the north of the
ancient highway to London; it was therefore wholly
within the bounds of the forest of Essex. (fn. 91) The name
derives from ealdan hile, the western of the two
branches of the Roding at this point, which formed
part of the bounds of Hamme in A.D. 958. (fn. 92) This
branch was called the Old river about 1570 (fn. 93) and
Aldersbrook in 1815–16. (fn. 94)
Aldersbrook first appears as a separate manor in
the early 16th century. Sir John Heron (d. 1521)
left it to his wife Margaret for life, with reversion to
his son Giles, then a minor. (fn. 95) Sir John, who was
treasurer of the Chamber to Henry VII and Henry
VIII, had been at Aldersbrook at least as early as
1517, when his son Thomas died there. (fn. 96) In 1523
the wardship of Giles Heron was granted by the
Crown to Sir Thomas More. (fn. 97) Giles, who later
married his guardian's daughter Cecily, was executed
in 1540 for his continued loyalty to More. (fn. 98) In 1532,
shortly before More resigned his office of lord
chancellor, Giles sold to the Crown 'a great messuage
called Nakedhall Hawe or Alderbroke', in the parish
of Wanstead. (fn. 99) Another reference to the same
transaction describes the property as the manor of
Aldersbrook, in the parishes of Little Ilford and
Wanstead. (fn. 100) In 1535 the Crown granted to Anthony
Knevett, gentleman usher of the Privy Chamber,
and Maud his wife, in survivorship, the manor of
Aldersbrook, a tenement called Draginsford, adjoining Aldersbrook, Naked Hall Grove, and Millfield,
which belonged to Draginsford, and other lands in
Little Ilford and Wanstead. (fn. 101) Maud Knevett was
dead by 1544, when the Crown sold the manor to
Katherine Addington, widow, and her son Thomas,
the king's skinner, who had acquired Knevett's
interest in the estate. (fn. 102) The Crown reserved from
the grant lands formerly belonging to Giles Heron,
lying in Wanstead Park and lately inclosed.
From the details given above it is clear that in the
early 16th century Aldersbrook manor extended into
Wanstead, and it may be suggested that until that
time Aldersbrook was appurtenant to the manor of
Wanstead. The reference of 1532 shows that an
alternative name for Aldersbrook was Naked Hall
Hawe. That name, which also occurs as Naked Hall
Grove, in 1535, was clearly identical with Naget
Hall, which in 1383 was held of Barking Abbey
by John Huntercombe, lord of Wanstead. (fn. 103) It seems
likely that Aldersbrook descended along with Wanstead until after that manor came into the possession
of the Crown about 1499, (fn. 104) and was subsequently
granted to Sir John Heron, who is known to have
received other Crown lands in south-west Essex. (fn. 105)
The boundary disputes between the lords of Aldersbrook and Wanstead, in the 17th and early 18th
centuries, probably reflect the ancient connexion of
the two manors, (fn. 106) and in a different connexion it was
stated, in 1650, that part of Little Ilford, lying north
of the main road, had formerly been in Wanstead
parish. (fn. 107)
In 1554 the manor of Aldersbrook was purchased
from Thomas Addington by John Traves, scissor
merchant of London. (fn. 108) Traves died in 1570 having
settled the manor on his wife Elizabeth for life
with remainder to his son John. (fn. 109) It was later said
that at about this time 'one Gabriel, a brewer' lived
at the manor-house. (fn. 110) In 1578 John Traves the
younger, also a scissor merchant, granted Aldersbrook to Henry Herbert, earl of Pembroke, who
lived there for a short time. (fn. 111) In 1580 Pembroke
granted the manor in fee to Nicholas Fuller of Grays
Inn (Mdx.) and Sara his wife. (fn. 112) Fuller sold it in
1585 to Robert Dudley, earl of Leicester, who
already owned the manor of Wanstead. (fn. 113) Leicester
(d. 1588) devised Aldersbrook to his bastard son
Robert Dudley. (fn. 114) In 1595 Dudley sold it to Edward
Bellingham. (fn. 115) Henry Bellingham, no doubt a relative
of Edward, was living at the manor-house between
1594 and 1613. (fn. 116) Edward was succeeded before 1613
by his son Sir Edward, who died in 1637 leaving as
his heir his father's sister Cecily, wife of Thomas
West. (fn. 117) The Wests do not appear to have lived at
Aldersbrook.
In 1655 Henry West, of Woodmancote, in West
Bourne (Suss.) sold the manor to Henry Osbaldeston. (fn. 118) Henry (d. 1669) (fn. 119) was succeeded by his son
Francis Osbaldeston who in 1677 also inherited his
uncle's estate in Great Ilford. (fn. 120) Both Henry and
Francis appear to have lived at Aldersbrook. (fn. 121)
Francis died in 1678, (fn. 122) having settled all his estates
on his daughter Mary with the provision that when
she reached the age of 16 they should be sold to
provide a portion for her. (fn. 123) Aldersbrook subsequently
descended with Loxford, in Great Ilford, until
1786. (fn. 124) In 1693, when John Lethieullier bought the
estate, Aldersbrook house was tenanted by Nathaniel
Long, and Aldersbrook Warren by Andrew White. (fn. 125)
Lethieullier (d. 1737) and his son Smart (d. 1760)
both lived at Aldersbrook, and so also did Smart's
niece Mary, and her husband Edward Hulse from
the time of their marriage in 1769. (fn. 126)
In 1786 Aldersbrook was sold by Mary and
Edward Hulse to Sir James Long, Bt., and was thus
again merged in the manor of Wanstead. (fn. 127) In 1815
Aldersbrook consisted of a farm of 269 a., with
manorial rights over 41 a. of Epping Forest and
over 38 a. held by other proprietors. (fn. 128) It continued
to descend with Wanstead until 1854, when William
Pole-Tylney-Long-Wellesley, earl of Mornington,
sold most of Aldersbrook (though not the manorial
rights) to the city of London. (fn. 129) The land became a
cemetery and is still used as such. The ownership
of it gave the corporation of London a locus standi
in the dispute concerning the preservation of Epping
Forest. (fn. 130) A small part of Aldersbrook, not included
in the sale of 1854, continued as a farm, under the
same name, until the end of the 19th century when
it was developed for building. (fn. 131)
Nothing is known concerning the medieval manorhouse. From the early 16th century Aldersbrook was
evidently a building of size and dignity, described
in 1532 as a 'great messuage', and marked on Norden's map of Essex (1594). (fn. 132) Its importance is also
shown by the fact that such owners as Sir John
Heron and the earl of Pembroke lived there, but part
of it may have been demolished before 1670, when
it had only 12 hearths. (fn. 133) An early-18th-century
map depicts it in elevation as an L-shaped building,
with two storeys and gables. (fn. 134) A later map, of 1748,
shows the ground-plan only. (fn. 135) Smart Lethieullier, a
keen antiquary and collector, frequently entertained
eminent scholars. (fn. 136) Richard Pococke, who visited
Aldersbrook in 1750, noted that Lethieullier had
'made a very pretty improvement' there, and that
his wife had 'made a beautiful hermitage in a wood,
with lawn, water, a mount, parterre etc. . … He
also described Lethieullier's fossil collection and
some of the books in his library. (fn. 137) When Sir James
Long bought the estate in 1786 he immediately
demolished the house. (fn. 138) Its site is on the east side
of the cemetery opposite the catacombs. (fn. 139) Lysons's
statement that a farm-house was built on the site (fn. 140)
is incorrect. There was already a farm-house near
the manor-house to the west, and this remained in
use until 1854, when it was demolished to make
way for the cemetery. (fn. 141) A new farm-house, erected
about 1863 in Aldersbrook Road (Wanstead) to serve
the remaining portion of Aldersbrook farm, was on
the site of the Aldersbrook Garage (fn. 142) where some of
its garden walls and out-buildings still survive.
The manor of BERENGERS was originally a
free tenement held of the manor of Barking, and
situated in the south of Barking town. It took its
name from the family of Roger Berenger who was
holding land in Barking in 1266. (fn. 143) In 1456 Stratford
Langthorne Abbey held a garden beside Townedowne in Barking, formerly of Roger Berenger, a
barn by Berengers garden, and a tenement in
Hythe (now Heath) Street. (fn. 144) At the Dissolution
Stratford Abbey was holding a tenement in Heath
Street, with a grange, a tenement with a garden
adjoining and a lane called Berengers, and a garden
beside Turnedowne. (fn. 145) Turnedowne, which was
clearly identical with the Townedowne of 1456, is
shown south of the present Axe Street, on a map
of 1653. (fn. 146) Berengers Lane may have been the alley
running south from the west end of Axe Street,
shown in the same map. In 1609 (fn. 147) Turnedowne was
stated to be east of Berengers garden. The tenements
described thus evidently lay on the south side of
Heath Street, but their exact location and extent is
not known. Before the Dissolution they presumably
constituted the demesne of the manor of Berengers;
there also belonged to the manor assize rents valued
in 1538–9 at £3 17s. 3d. (fn. 148)
In 1542 the Crown granted the manor of Berengers, along with those of Little Ilford and Rayhouse,
which had also belonged to Stratford Abbey, to
Morgan Phillips, alias Wolfe. (fn. 149) From that date
Berengers and Little Ilford descended together,
and eventually became completely merged. (fn. 150) The
grant of 1542 probably did not include the former
demesne tenements of Berengers, and there seems
to be no evidence that subsequent owners of Little
Ilford and Berengers held land in Barking town. In
1609 Berengers garden, abutting east on Turnedowne, was held by Thomas Moore, and two
previous owners are mentioned, neither of whom is
known to have held Berengers manor. (fn. 151)
ECONOMIC HISTORY.
In 1086 the manor of
(Little) Ilford was said to comprise 3 hides less
30 acres; it is not clear whether this included the
24 a. which its lord, Jocelin the Lorimer, had taken
from the manor of Barking. (fn. 152) There was woodland
for 20 swine and 20 a. meadow. In 1066 the arable
land had been worked by 4½ plough-teams, but by
1086 there were only 2 teams. On the other hand, a
mill and a fishery had been added between the two
dates. They were no doubt on the river Roding on
the eastern side of the manor, where also must have
been the 20 a. meadow.
There is little doubt that this manor, with much
arable and little woodland, lay south of the ancient
highway to London, and did not include the forest
area to the north of the road. This is borne out by
the later history of the manor, which, down to the
19th century, comprised roughly the southern half
of the parish. That part of Little Ilford continued as
farm land until the later 19th century. Land use
figures given in conveyances of the manor, from the
17th century onwards, suggest that arable farming
was important, possibly predominant, and that was
certainly the case in 1839, when the Wight estate,
comprising 363 a., included about 230 a. arable. (fn. 153)
The southern part of the parish also included a small
area of marshland meadow along the Roding, which
as 'Little Ilford Level' was controlled by the Havering commissioners of sewers. (fn. 154)
The northern half of the parish, which later
formed the manor of Aldersbrook, was in 1086
almost certainly part of the thickly wooded manor
of Wanstead, and included the saltpan mentioned
there. (fn. 155) It was within the Forest of Essex, the
boundary of which, as perambulated in 1225, 1301,
and 1641, followed the London road. (fn. 156) During the
Middle Ages it formed part of the forest bailiwick of
Becontree; (fn. 157) from the 16th century it was in Leyton
'walk', sometimes called Wanstead, or Wanstead and
Leyton 'walk'. (fn. 158) By the early 16th century, when
Aldersbrook emerged as a separate manor, forest
clearance was virtually complete in that part of the
parish: in 1536 Aldersbrook was stated to contain
140 a. arable out of a total area of 216 a., and only
6 a. woodland remained. (fn. 159) In the 17th and early 18th
centuries there was a recurrent dispute between the
lords of Aldersbrook and Wanstead concerning the
boundaries of their manors, and in particular their
respective rights over the forest wastes of Wanstead
Flats. (fn. 160) Aldersbrook claimed rights over some 300 a.
waste, but was eventually restricted to about 40 a.
From the 16th century onwards part of the wastes
adjoining Aldersbrook was being used as a warren.
The earl of Pembroke, when he lived there about
1580, kept at least 1,000 couple of rabbits. (fn. 161) In 1660
the tenant of the home farm (sometimes called
Warren House) was convicted at the forest court
for encroaching into the wastes to extend his rabbit
burrows. (fn. 162) In 1740, soon after Smart Lethieullier
succeeded to Aldersbrook, he destroyed the warren,
and obtained licence from the Crown to inclose the
land for agriculture. (fn. 163) Much of the estate then consisted of park-land attached to Aldersbrook House, (fn. 164)
but after Sir James Long's purchase of Aldersbrook,
and the demolition of the house, most of it became
farm-land. In 1816 Aldersbrook farm comprised 269
a., of which about half was arable. (fn. 165)
From the 17th century onwards, if not earlier,
Little Ilford had hardly any inhabitants, except the
lord of Aldersbrook and the tenant of the home
farm, dwelling within the forest bounds. (fn. 166) This
probably explains why little information has
survived concerning forest rights exercised by
parishioners. After 1803 Little Ilford ceased to be
represented at the forest courts, and there appears
to be no evidence that it possessed any separate
cattle-mark, such as were used elsewhere. (fn. 167) In the
19th century beasts from Aldersbrook were being
marked by the reeve of Wanstead. (fn. 168) Nevertheless,
Little Ilford remained in part a forest parish, and
was in fact one of the storm centres of the Epping
Forest controversy in the later 19th century. In
1851–2 the owners of the Wanstead Park estate
inclosed 34 a. of forest waste on Wanstead Flats;
about 9 a. of this lay within the manor of Aldersbrook. (fn. 169) Opposition to this action, by Richard
Plaxton, occupier of Cann Hall, in Wanstead, and
other persons concerned to preserve the forest, was
unsuccessful, and between 1852 and 1869 many
other inclosures were made on Wanstead Flats. (fn. 170)
These were all in Wanstead manor, but in 1871
the owners of Wanstead Park inclosed 20 a. in the
south-eastern corner of the flats, which formed the
last remaining piece of waste within Aldersbrook
manor. (fn. 171) This brought a powerful protagonist to
the defence of the forest: the corporation of the
City of London. (fn. 172)
The City had bought most of Aldersbrook farm
(though not the manorial rights) in 1854, and had
made a cemetery there. During the 1860s it had
begun to interest itself in the preservation of common rights in the forest, and in 1871 it took legal
action, first against the lord of Wanstead and then
more generally, against inclosers throughout the
forest. The Epping Forest Commission was established in the same year, but the City pressed on with
its action in order to prevent further inclosures, and
gained a favourable verdict in 1874. This was reinforced by the findings of the commission, largely
embodied in the Act of 1878, by which the forest
was preserved as a public open space and placed
under the control of the City of London as conservators. The Act provided, inter alia, that all
inclosures made since 1851, except those built upon,
should be thrown back into the forest. This included
the inclosures made at Aldersbrook in 1852 and 1871.
In 1882 the Wanstead Park trustees bought back
the 34 a. of the 1852 inclosure, together with several
other pieces of land, in part exchange, with the City,
for 183 a. comprising the lakes and woodlands of
the park.
The preservation of Wanstead Flats as an open
space was of great benefit to the inhabitants of Little
Ilford, now increasing in number, but it made little
difference to land use within the parish. Much more
important in that respect was the making of the
City of London cemetery. In 1839 the parish contained some 450 a. arable and 200 a. meadow or
pasture, divided among four farms and a few smallholdings. (fn. 173) When the cemetery was formed fifteen
years later about a third of the farm-land in the
parish was taken out of cultivation.
It was stated in 1796 that about 120 a. in Little
Ilford were usually cropped with potatoes, (fn. 174) but in
the 19th century this parish (unlike some neighbouring ones) does not seem to have been particularly
noted as a market-gardening area. In 1839 there was
a little osier-growing along the Roding. (fn. 175)
At the end of the 18th century a great cattle market
was held on Wanstead Flats every year during
March and April, and much of the business relating
to it was transacted at the Three Rabbits public
house, which stood on the north side of the main
road at Little Ilford. (fn. 176) That house, which figures in
Thomas Hood's novel Tylney Hall (1834), was still
frequented by graziers and cattle dealers in 1876,
though the market had long ceased. (fn. 177)
It was stated in 1613 that there were remains of a
brick-kiln or clamps near Aldersbrook House, but
no brick-making was then being carried on. (fn. 178) A
field called Brick Clamps is shown on a map of 1816,
lying between the Aldersbrook stream and Aldersbrook Lane. (fn. 179)
Until the later 19th century most of the small
population of the parish was engaged in agriculture. (fn. 180)
From the 1850s, however, other occupations began
to appear. The opening of the City of London
cemetery provided work for monumental stonemasons, of which there were at least three by 1863. (fn. 181)
By 1870 Manor Park was growing into a small town,
with a variety of tradesmen. (fn. 182)
PARISH GOVERNMENT AND POOR RELIEF.
A vestry minute book for Little Ilford survives for
the period 1751–1857. (fn. 183)
Until 1777 it was common to hold 4 or 5 vestry
meetings a year. In the next half-century the usual
practice seems to have been to hold only one or two
such meetings a year. After 1815 the frequency of
meetings tended to increase again, to 3, 4, and
occasionally 5 or 6 a year.
In the 18th century the rectors attended the vestry
regularly. The only exception was John Chamberlayne (rector 1764–87), who attended only once
during the last ten years of his incumbency. His
absence may have been responsible for the infrequency of meetings during those years. T. L. Cooke
(rector 1803–47) rarely attended, but his curate
nearly always did so.
Considering the small population of the parish
the attendance at vestry, as indicated by signatures,
was good. For most of the period 1751–1834 meetings were usually attended by at least 3 or 4 persons.
Only between 1779 and 1785 was the attendance
less than that. Between 1815 and 1825 it was often
5, 6, or more. In July 1824, when a record number
of 10 persons were present, there were still fewer
than 20 families in the parish.
The lords of the manor of Little Ilford, who did
not live in the parish in the later 18th century, never
attended meetings before 1815. In 1815 William
Hibbit, who was joint lord of the manor, and was
then living in West Ham, (fn. 184) began to attend the
vestry, and from 1818 to 1826 he rarely missed a
meeting. In this period also he sometimes held
parish office and in 1824, as surveyor of highways,
he was involved in a lawsuit with a parishioner named
Greenhill, who held land in White Post Lane (now
High Street North). Hibbit, supported by the vestry,
won his case but bore part of the costs himself. He
does not appear to have attended any vestry meeting
after 1826 though he was occasionally nominated
for office until 1832. The lords of Aldersbrook
sometimes attended meetings in the later 18th
century. Smart Lethieullier attended regularly in
1751–2 and occasionally afterwards until his death
in 1760. Edward Hulse, owner and occupier of
Aldersbrook from 1769, attended vestry meetings
regularly from 1772 until 1786, when he sold the
manor. Another regular attendant, from 1755 to
1776, was George Parker, occupier of Aldersbrook
farm and steward of the Lethieullier estate, who
served several terms as churchwarden, and also as
surveyor. Samuel Winmill, who occupied the farm
in the early 19th century, was rarely out of office in
the years between 1811 and 1836. In that period
he was usually either churchwarden or overseer and
once he served as constable.
The records for the later 18th century do not
furnish an exact list of parish officers, but there were
evidently some unusual customs in regard to their
appointment. Until 1768 the offices of churchwarden and overseer were held by one person, who
usually served for at least two years. After 1768 it
became the practice, for over ten years, to appoint
two persons, one of whom served in the first half
of the period as churchwarden and overseer and
afterwards simply as churchwarden, while the other
served as overseer. For some years after the appointment of a separate overseer, however, the churchwarden continued to have the main responsibility
for poor-relief. It was the churchwarden whom the
vestry directed to take action in individual cases of
pauperism and it was to him that poor-rates were
granted. During the 1780s the parish reverted for
a short time to its earlier practice of combining the
two offices in one person. From 1789, or possibly
a little earlier, two persons were again appointed,
and the practice was now for both to serve as churchwardens and as overseers. From 1794 the distinction
between the two offices became more marked and
it was no longer taken for granted that the two
persons serving as churchwardens should also serve
as overseers. At this time one churchwarden was
being nominated by the parishioners, the other by
the rector. From 1802 the offices were always held
by different persons and in this period the overseers
were responsible for the poor-rates and all matters
relating to poor-relief, the churchwarden confining
himself to the needs of the church. There were then
one churchwarden and two overseers, all of whom
served for several successive years. From 1823, if
not before, a paid overseer was appointed. There
was one parish constable and one surveyor. In the
19th century the constable served sometimes for one,
sometimes for two or more years. A parish clerk is
occasionally mentioned. In 1804 his salary, which
for the past 40 years had been £4, was raised to £6.
Until 1780 separate rates were levied for church
purposes and for poor-relief. After that date the
church was usually maintained out of the poor-rates,
church-rates being levied only to meet exceptionally
heavy expenditure. A separate highway rate was
occasionally levied, as in 1803 and 1804. There is no
evidence of a separate constable's rate.
Officers' accounts were carefully scrutinized by
the vestry, although in the early part of the period
they did not always submit them annually. Until
about 1780 the vestry examined the case of every
pauper and if necessary met specially to do so; the
parish officers evidently took no independent action.
After that time, when vestry meetings became less
frequent, individual cases were rarely recorded in
the minutes.
Poor-relief took the form of weekly doles, rent
allowances, poorhouse accommodation, medical care,
or apprenticeship. Between 1752 and 1769 five pauper
children were apprenticed. They were evidently
not bound to masters in the parish, though details
are incomplete. In 1763 the churchwarden was to
'apply to a fisherman at Barking' to take one boy,
and in 1769 it was resolved that another should be
apprenticed to a blacksmith at Stratford.
About 1760 the vestry acquired two poorhouses
by taking them over after the previous tenants had
got into arrears with their rent. These houses were
still being leased in 1776. (fn. 185) Little Ilford never had
its own workhouse. On one occasion, in 1764, an
attempt was made to place a pauper in a workhouse
outside the parish, but this was an exceptional
measure and never became a common practice even
at a later date. In 1803 there were 8 persons on
permanent relief, 5 of them being old or permanently disabled, but none of the 8 was in a workhouse.
In each of the years 1813–15 there were 8–10 persons
on permanent relief, none of them in a workhouse. (fn. 186)
For most years between 1750 and 1834 it is
impossible to state exactly the cost of relief, owing
to deficiencies in the records. At the beginning of
the period a considerable proportion of the inhabitants were receiving relief in some form but in
this parish, unlike many others, the rates seem to
have remained steady right up to the end of the 18th
century. The only years when expenditure did rise
appreciably were 1756–7, 1759–60, and 1783–5.
There are precise, or nearly precise, figures of costs
for only six years of the second half of the 18th
century. In 1750–2 the cost of relief was probably
about £50 a year. In 1776 it was £52. (fn. 187) In 1783–5
the average annual cost was £89. (fn. 188) In 1803 it was
£51. After 1804 there does seem to have been an
increase. (fn. 189) In the five years ending in 1817 relief
costs averaged £70. In the four years ending in 1821
the average was £88. (fn. 190)
Little Ilford was included in the West Ham poor
law union, formed in 1836. In 1886 the parish was
placed, for sanitary purposes, under the control of
the East Ham local board. (fn. 191) Since 1840 Little
Ilford has been part of the Metropolitan police
district. (fn. 192)
CHURCH.
This section deals only with the ancient
church of St. Mary, Little Ilford. The modern
churches of St. Michael, St. Barnabas, and St.
Mary's mission are treated under East Ham.
The surviving architectural features of St. Mary's
church show that it was built at least as early as the
12th century. In 1650, when parochial reorganization was being considered, it was suggested that
this small parish should be divided between its
neighbours, Wanstead and Great Ilford, and that
Little Ilford church should be taken down and
re-erected at Barkingside. (fn. 193) This was not done,
however, and St. Mary's continued to be the parish
church of Little Ilford until 1938, when it became
a chapel of ease to St. Michael's, Romford Road. (fn. 194)
The advowson of the rectory descended with the
manor of Little Ilford until 1873, when it was put
up for sale as part of the Wight estate. (fn. 195) Then, or
soon after, it was bought for Hertford College,
Oxford, the present patrons. (fn. 196) On a number of
occasions, from the 16th century to the 19th, the
presentation was granted away for one or more
terms. (fn. 197) Theophilus Leigh Cooke, rector 1803–47,
appears to have obtained the living under an agreement between his family and the patrons. (fn. 198)
Although the advowson was held from the 13th
century onwards by Stratford Abbey the church
was never appropriated. In 1470 the abbey, pleading
poverty, sought the pope's permission to appropriate, but this was evidently refused. (fn. 199) The rectory
was valued at £3 in 1254 but at only £1 10s. in 1291. (fn. 200)
In 1535 the net value was £11 13s. 8d. (fn. 201) In 1650 the
gross value was £55, (fn. 202) in the early 18th century it
was £110, (fn. 203) and in the three years 1829–31 the average
was £450. (fn. 204) Tithes, which were valued at £37 in
1650, were commuted in 1839 for £328, which
included £18 for tithes of the glebe. (fn. 205) Sir John Heron
(d. 1521), of Aldersbrook, left a rent-charge of
£3 6s. 8d. payable by the Fishmongers' Company to
the rector of Little Ilford. This was redeemed in
1887 for £111 stock, which was used to augment the
benefice. (fn. 206)
Until the later 19th century, when most of it was
built over, there were 40 a. glebe, lying mainly in
the centre and south of the parish. (fn. 207) In 1610 the
parsonage house comprised eleven rooms in two
storeys. (fn. 208) This house was on a moated site in Little
Ilford Marsh. (fn. 209) Robert Blakeway, when he became
rector in 1714, found it so dilapidated, and considered the site so unhealthy, that in 1720 he built
a new three-storey rectory on higher ground immediately west of the church, with some financial
help from others. (fn. 210) The controversy between Blakeway and his parishioners which preceded the building
of the new house is described below. This house,
which appears to have been altered in the early 19th
century, (fn. 211) was demolished in 1963, when a new
rectory was built on an adjoining site nearer Church
Road. Part of the old rectory garden was sold for
building. (fn. 212)
The most eminent rector of Little Ilford was probably Thomas Newton (1542–1607), poet and
physician, who held the living from 1583 until his
death. (fn. 213) He was evidently unpopular with the
Puritans, who in 1585 included him in a list of
non-preaching clergy, and described him as a 'grand
drunkard'. (fn. 214) His successor, John Morse (1607–15),
was probably identical with the man of that name
who occurs, in 1639–46, as the Puritan minister of
Romford. (fn. 215) Daniel Cawdrey, rector from 1617 to
about 1625, also had Puritan leanings, for in 1662
he was ejected from Great Billing (Northants.) for
nonconformity. (fn. 216) Morse or Cawdrey may well have
been responsible for placing the communion table
in the centre of the chancel, with benches around it,
an arrangement noted at Little Ilford in 1638 during
the visitation of the archdeacon, who ordered that
the table should be cut shorter, placed against the
east wall, and railed. (fn. 217) Richard Reekes, rector from
about 1625 to 1635, (fn. 218) was in 1630 involved in a
dispute with the lord of the manor. (fn. 219) The churchwarden, John Lord, who gave evidence in the case,
and had himself quarrelled with Reekes, stated that
the rector had recently been absent without making
proper provision for serving the cure. When a
baptism was necessary Lord, so he said, had to send
for a minister to officiate, 'sometimes Motley, who
says he is curate to Reekes, and sometimes another'.
Humphrey Richards, rector 1639–55, was described
in 1650 as an able, preaching minister. (fn. 220) He appears
to have held the living until his death. His successor
was Henry Osbaldeston, whose Puritanism was
well attested in 1655 (fn. 221) but who conformed in 1662,
and retained the rectory until his death in 1669.
Robert Blakeway (rector 1714–36) had previously
been for a short time curate to the non-juring vicar
of East Ham, Richard Welton. Early in his incumbency he was involved in disputes with successive
churchwardens, John Lethieullier (of Aldersbrook)
and John Nurse, and with the patron of the living,
Sarah Wight. (fn. 222) The main issue was the rebuilding
of the rectory, already mentioned, but the underlying cause of enmity was political. Blakeway was
a Whig while they were Tories. According to one
statement there was also a private feud resulting
from Blakeway's unwelcome and unsuccessful courtship of Lethieullier's daughter, (fn. 223) and these events
at Little Ilford must also be regarded as the sequel
to Blakeway's quarrels with Welton at East Ham.
Feelings ran high in the parish during the Jacobite
rebellion of 1715, and continued to do so for some
years.
After 1720, when the new rectory was built, most
18th-century rectors seem to have been resident
except John Chamberlayne (rector 1764–87) who
was absent from 1777 to 1787. (fn. 224) During Chamberlayne's absence two curates were successively employed. (fn. 225) Theophilus Cooke, rector 1803–47, who
was a pluralist living in Oxfordshire, depended on
curates for most of his long incumbency. (fn. 226) His
successors have all been resident. Arthur T. W.
Shadwell (1879–93) was a distinguished oarsman. (fn. 227)
The church of ST. MARY THE VIRGIN,
Church Road, consists of nave and chancel, north
chapel (now the vestry), south porch, and west bellturret. (fn. 228) The walls of the nave, and the lower parts
of the chancel, are of flint rubble, faced with plaster
or cement. Those of the chapel, porch, and the upper
parts of the chancel are of 18th-century brick. The
roofs are of slate.
The nave and the chancel were probably built
early in the 12th century. In the north wall of the
nave, now opening into the vestry, are a window
and a doorway, both of that period. The south wall
has a window and a doorway matching those in the
north wall except that the window has been widened.
There is another widened 12th-century window in
the west wall, above the gallery.
Until the 18th century there seem to have been
no major alterations to the church except for the
addition of a bell-turret and south porch. A painting
of the church from the south-east, made in 1720,
includes those features, and also shows two roundheaded windows, probably of the 12th century, but
no longer existing, in the south walls of the nave and
chancel, and four others in the east wall of the
chancel. (fn. 229)
About 1724, the year in which the wife of John
Lethieullier died as the result of a carriage accident, (fn. 230)
the Lethieulliers of Aldersbrook obtained a faculty
to erect a family vault with a private chapel above
it. (fn. 231) Work does not seem to have started for some
years, probably not until after the death of John
Lethieullier in 1737. (fn. 232) The chapel, which has been
used as a vestry at least since 1848, (fn. 233) is a simple
structure of reddish-brown brick with a coved
cornice and two circular windows. Internally the
whole of its north wall is occupied by a handsome
classical memorial to members of the Lethieullier
family. The chapel is separated from the nave by
an iron gate and contains other Lethieullier monuments and a fire-place. In its east window is 15thcentury stained glass depicting the arms of France
and England flanked by a Tudor rose and a red rose,
both crowned. Around the outer edge are 16th- and
17th-century fragments depicting shields and figures,
including a heron. This glass was probably removed
from the nave or chancel; some of it may have been
connected with Sir John Heron of Aldersbrook. In
1801 part of it was in the west window of the chapel. (fn. 234)
The building of the chapel seems to have been
accompanied by the rebuilding of the chancel,
porch, and possibly the bell-turret, the alteration of
the nave, and the insertion of the west gallery. The
upper part of the chancel is built of the same reddish-brown brick as the chapel, having a high dentil
cornice and a pedimented east gable. The windows
are of wood with gothic lights and semi-circular or
segmental heads; there are two similar windows in
the nave. The west gallery is supported on squareshafted Tuscan pilasters. On the gallery front are
the royal arms of one of the 18th-century Hanoverian
kings, probably George II. During the Second
World War the church was damaged by bombing.
It was reopened, after repairs, in 1951. (fn. 235)
The organ, which in 1892 was removed from the
gallery to the south wall of the chancel, and rebuilt,
was replaced in the gallery in 1938. (fn. 236) Part of the
earlier barrel organ is now in the vestry. On the north
wall of the nave is a board recording James Hayes's
charity. (fn. 237)
In 1552 the church had two small bells. (fn. 238) There
was none in 1683, (fn. 239) but there are references to one
bell in 1768 and 1814. (fn. 240) The present bell is dated
1861. (fn. 241) The church plate includes a silver cup and
paten of 1890. What happened to the older plate is
not known. (fn. 242)
On the north wall of the nave are a brass to
Thomas (d. 1517), son of Sir John Heron of Aldersbrook depicting a schoolboy with inkhorn and pencase, and another to William (d. 1614) and Anne
(d. 1630), children of Bernard Hyde, lord of the
manor of Little Ilford. (fn. 243) The Heron brass was
formerly on the floor of the chancel, and that of
Hyde on the floor of the nave. (fn. 244) On the north wall
of the chancel are a coloured marble monument,
with kneeling figures, to William Waldegrave (d.
1610) and his wife Elizabeth (d. 1589), and a tablet
to Francis Osbaldeston (d. 1678) of Aldersbrook and
his two infant sons. On the east wall is a tablet to
William S. Fry (d. 1844), of the Manor House, his two
eldest daughters and his son. (fn. 245) The principal monument in the chapel takes the form of a marble colonnade of three bays with Tuscan columns and a central
pediment. The central bay contains a sarcophagus
of coloured marble commemorating John Lethieullier (d. 1737) and his wife (d. 1724). In the flanking
bays two urns carry inscriptions to their son Smart
(d. 1760) and his wife Margaret (d. 1753). On the
south wall of the chapel is a tablet to Charles
Lethieullier (d. 1759).
PROTESTANT NONCONFORMITY.
It was
stated in 1810 that Little Ilford contained one family
of Quakers and three of other dissenters, (fn. 246) but no
nonconformist congregation appears to have been
formed until about 1860, when Little Ilford chapel,
Greenhill Grove, was registered by a non-sectarian
body, possibly of Brethren. (fn. 247) This is probably the
small building on the west of Greenhill Grove now
(1965) used by the Salvation Army, adjoining which
is a row of houses inscribed 'Chapel Place, 1864'.
About 1865 this chapel appears to have been taken
over by Congregationalists, who remained there
until 1890, when they moved to a new church in
Manor Park Road, East Ham, called Manor Park
Congregational church. (fn. 248) The Greenhill Grove
chapel was subsequently used by Baptists before
being taken over by the Salvation Army. (fn. 249) In and
after the 1880s, as Manor Park expanded, many
nonconformist churches were built. These are
described under East Ham. (fn. 250)
EDUCATION.
There was an Anglican Sunday
school at Little Ilford from 1820, and in 1830 a
visitor reported seeing the parish clerk 'or some
such dignitary' conducting a school in the church,
but it was not until 1865 that a National day-school
was built on glebe land in Church Road with the
aid of grants from the government and the National
Society. (fn. 251) The average attendance at the National
school increased from 53 in 1867 to 149 in 1882.
In 1883 two new classrooms were built and the
school was divided into separate departments for
boys, girls, and infants. (fn. 252) Places for 400 were thus
provided, but by 1886 average attendance had
reached 300, and in 1887 a school board was formed. (fn. 253)
The school was immediately taken over by the
board, which in 1890 transferred the boys and girls
to new buildings in Fourth Avenue. The infants,
who from 1887 to 1890 were in temporary accommodation elsewhere, then moved back to the Church
Road buildings and remained there until 1892, when
a new infants department was completed on the
Fourth Avenue site. (fn. 254) The National school buildings
were reopened as a temporary board school in 1895
and continued in use until 1901. They were
subsequently used for church purposes. (fn. 255) In 1951
they were sold to the East Ham borough council,
which shortly afterwards demolished them and
built flats on the site, now called Leamington
Close. (fn. 256)
There was a nonconformist school in Little Ilford
in 1865. (fn. 257) Nothing further is known about it;
possibly it was connected with the chapel in Greenhill Grove. (fn. 258)
Schools built since 1887 are described under East
Ham. (fn. 259)
CHARITIES FOR THE POOR.
By a deed of 1630
Bernard Hyde, lord of the manor of Little Ilford,
provided that the Salters' Company of London
should pay £1 a year to the churchwardens, to be
given to four poor persons of the parish. (fn. 260) In 1835
the money was being used to give a bag of coal to
every poor family at Christmas, any deficiency being
made up by private contributions. (fn. 261) By 1894, however, it was used to give four poor people 5s. each.
In 1961 it was being administered with Hayes's
charity. (fn. 262)
James Hayes (d. 1821) left £1,000 stock in trust
for the poor of the parish. In 1835 £30 a year was
being distributed in sums ranging from 10s. to
£2 10s. (fn. 263) In 1961 the income of £18 15s. was distributed, along with that from Hyde's charity, in
£1 and 10s. portions. (fn. 264)
Elizabeth Bayne, by declaration of trust of 1960,
gave £350 stock in memory of her husband Oswald
Bayne, the proceeds to be used for charitable work
by the church in Little Ilford parish, particularly
for the assistance of students at university or training
college. In 1961 £2 each was given to two students
at King's College, London, and one at University
College Hospital, London. (fn. 265)
All the above charities are administered by the
rector and churchwardens of Little Ilford.